Corrupt-Bretonnia

a WFRP Sourcebook
http://malpy.free.fr/bretonnie/index-uk.html

Dark

Period-

Fantasy

Swashbuckling
This amateur sourcebook is free and freely distributable.
It doesn't aim at being compatible with WFB or the WFRP2
range from GW.
To view this document on screen in the best conditions,
Acrobat Reader version 7 or later is recommended.

Authors : Peter Butterworth, Rory Naismith, Mark Saunders

& all the Bretonnia-Project contributors.

Prologue
'Fair maiden,' quoth Sir Ambrut, 'fear ye not, for a
wondrous strong knight is cometh for to carry thee away.'
'Oh sir knight,' came the damsel's cry, full waxing and laden
with great dole, 'unchain me now, and bring me from this
place, where the crude and unchilvarous Sir Meliadans hath
imprisonned me!'
And Sir Ambrut did leap from his steed and leap upon
the swaths of leaf which clothed the tower; but woe to Sir
Ambrut, for the wicked Sir Meliadans was hidden at the
gates, and came a-walloping at Sir Ambrut, his lance levelled
and keen...

2
 Armand the slave-dealer yawned and put the book
down, stirring a cloud of flies. He could guess now how it
would end, and could trouble himself with it no more. Let
knights and lords worry about deeds of glory and romance.
There were other things on his mind...

3
Index
Prologue 2
Index 4
Editorial 6
I. Grandeur & Decadence 8
I.1. Timeline of the Kingdom of Bretonnia 10
10
I.2. Foundation of Modern Bretonnia 14
I.3. Régence 20
I.4. The Cult of Shallya 23
I.5. The Chaos Cults 25
II. Cities & Provinces of Bretonnia 28
II.1. Map of Bretonnia 29
II.2. Descriptions of the Main Cities
of Bretonnia 30
II.3. Le Massif Orcal 46
II.4. Provincial Map of Bretonnia 48
II.5. Description of the Provinces of Bretonnia 49
III. Noblesse & Government 57
III.1. Oisillon 58
III.2. Summary of Leading Personalities of Bretonnia 63
III.3. The State Council (GM only) 67
III.4. The Blois Family 77
III.5. De Semblancy Family 82
III.6. La Chambre Noire (GM only) 86
III.7. The Modern Army of Bretonnia 87
IV. Appendix – Living in Bretonnia 92
IV.1. The Cult of Saints in Bretonnia 93
IV.2. The main Bretonnian Saints 95
IV.3. Wyrd Doings: Wizards in Bretonnia 96
IV.4. Magic over the Counter? 100
IV.5. Bretonnian Money 102
Glossary 104
IV.6. Bretonnian Calendar 106
IV.7. Bretonnian Forenames 108
4
5
Editorial
This supplement is based on the description of
Bretonnia given in the original WFRP Rulebook (WFRP1, 1987)
p273-276. It doesn’t deal with Arthurian knights as the current
edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battle or the new edition of
WFRP (WFRP2, 2005). It is an updated version of Bretonnia-
Project’s “The Corrupt Kingdom of Bretonnia” (Bretonnia-
Sourcebook, 2003), which focuses on the most fundamental
aspects of the Bretonnian background : history, places, leading
personalities and customs.
Bretonnia is a country where the mark of Chaos is less
visible than in the Empire, where mutants & cultists are
uncommon, but where the society as a whole makes up by
being profoundly corrupt and decadent ! As a consequence, in a
typical Bretonnian game, the PCs fight (or serve) injustice and
corruption rather than Chaos.
Bretonnia is a dark swashbuckling setting in a fantasy
version of Ancient Regime France; it is well suited for both
WFRP comedies and WFRP tragedies in a different style from
the Empire. As my jaded friend Armand would say : “Les
Impériaux ont la finesse de l’ours”.

May the spirit of Cyrano de Bergerac and d’Artagnan

guide your PCs…

Peter Butterworth, Bretonnia-Project

 While we believe this booklet constitutes an essential
guide to Bretonnia and in itself a worthy companion to the
WFRP1 rulebook description, a lot more excellent material is
available from our website. Don’t take our word for it, check it
out !

7
I. Grandeur & Decadence

8
 Bretonnia was founded over 1500 years ago, when Gilles
Le Breton initiated the series of dynastic conquests that led to
the unification of the many small feudal states lying west of the
Grey Mountains and north of the river Brienne. At that time
Bretonnia was a troublesome backwater compared to The
Empire. Soon, however, the Bretonnian Kings came to rival the
power of the Emperor, and her cities became the model for
modernity and fashion. Since the accession of the current
King's grandfather, Charles 1 (Charles L'Énorme or Charles the
Enormous), the Bretonnian Kingdom has degenerated
considerably. The once proud cities and prosperous ports have
fallen into ruin, a national apathy has set in that has given rise
to widespread corruption, inefficiency and decay. The
aristocracy looks to its own pleasures while the unruly mob
starves amidst the Worst squalor in the Old World.

9
I.1. Timeline of the
Kingdom of
Bretonnia
-1589 Phoenix King
Caradryel recalls the High Elf
armies from the Old World.
Remaining Elf colonies see
their departure as a betrayal.
-1560 Dwarf-Elf war,
terrible battle of Three
Towers at the gate of Tor
Alessi (now the port of
L'Anguille). Dwarves are
finally victorious.
-1501 Athel-Loren the Wood
Elf capital is founded.
Around -1000
Arrival of the primitive
Bretonni tribes from the east,
settling all lands north and
west of the Loren Forest.
Around 0
Bretonni tribes battle against
orcs and goblins.
632-1960 Norse raids take
place along the coast of the
Sea of Claws.
977 Gilles le Breton of
Gisoreux begins 70 years of
dynastic conquests that lead
to unification of Bretonnia
under the reign of his
grandson king Guillaume
Barbenoire.
1125 King Louis IV Lefranc
is defeated several times by
the elves in Loren Forest.
Pact of Salignac ends the
conflict and concludes an
alliance of sorts between
Bretonnians and Elves.
1301 Marriage of
Enguerrand le Fier
(Enguerrand the proud),
King of Bretonnia and Irène
of Navarre. With the
acquisition of Navarre, the
Bretonnian kingdom reaches
its current borders.
1342-1347 Arabian invasion
of the south of Bretonnia.
Brionne falls. Roland de
Chinon pushes the Arabian
troops back to Estalia.
1500 Bretonnian knights
take an active part in the
crusades against Araby and
the sultan Daryus-e-Quabir
(also known as Jaffar).
10
1597 Marienburg seized by
Bretonnian army under Duc
de L'Anguille. Occupation
last five years.
1952 Baron Henri d'Amateu
of L'Anguille grants the
Norseman Skajad the
Bastard land in the
Armorique region to end the
Norse raids.
2232 Alliance of northern
Estalian kingdoms invade
and conquer southern
Bretonnia.
2267 All provinces send
troops to drive out the
Estalian invaders.
2274 Siege of Brionne
results in the end of Estalian
domination.
2300 The country remains
mostly untouched by the the
great Chaos incursion, except
for the northern coast which
suffers from landings of
Chaos marauders. Some, but
not many, Bretonnian
knights join Magnus the
Pious in his fight against
Chaos.
2320 Brionne starts to be
called the city of thieves.
2402 Discovery of Lustria.
2423 Discovery of the "New
Coast" in the Southlands.
2429 Marienburg Provincial
Council declare the
Wasteland's independence
and secede from Empire.
Battle of Grootscher Marsh
deals decisive blow to
Imperial designs. Emperor
Wilhelm II recognizes
Wasteland independence.
2429 Accession of Charles I
l'Énorme (Charles the
Enormous). His reign will
last for some 57 years and
marks the beginning of
Bretonnian degeneration.
2450 A series of
earthquakes destroys most of
the town of Moussillon. Start
of Moussillon's despair.
2485 First serious uproars
in Guisoreux.
11
2486 King Charles the First
badly ill must pass on the
power to his son Charles II
de la Dure. Charles II
represses all protests in
Guisoreux in the bloodiest
manner.

2492 War of the Succession

of Bilbali. Modernisation of
the Bretonnian army and
navy under Charles II
becomes apparent.

2498 The building of the

Oisillon palace is finally
completed. The royal court
moves from Guisoreux to
Oisillon.

2500 Death of King Charles

II in joust at the Royal
tournament of Couronne.
Charles III, though aged 15,
is not ready to rule. Eight
year decadent regency of the
Duke de Gascogne follows.
Oisillon becomes famous in
all the Old World for its
lavish parties. Rise to power
of the Shallyan Cardinal
Dumourieux.

2508 Charles de la Tête

d'Or ascends to the throne as
King Charles III.
12
2512 King Charles III
celebrates his 27th birthday
in great pomp in Oisillon,
while Guisoreux' troubles
resume.

Note :
in Bretonnia years are
usually recorded with
reference to the year of reign
of the current King rather
than using the Imperial
Calendar (IC).
Example : 2512 IC is
referred to as the fourth
year in the reign of Charles
III de la Tête d'Or.

13
I.2. Foundation of Modern Bretonnia
The Gods of the South
Sometime before the rise of Gilles le Breton, as the great
cities became a more significant part of Bretonni culture, and
links to the southern Old World became stronger, worship of a
new pantheon of Gods began to spread amongst them. The
cults of Morr, Verena, Shallya, Myrmidia (and along with them
the less publicly acceptable cults of Khaine and Ranald) seem
to have first come to prominence in the city states of the south,
but these sophisticated new deities, whose worship was
intimately bound up with new technological and cultural
developments, soon spread along trade routes to the Bretonni.
These new cults were aggressively championed by well-
organised missionaries, who often found ways to absorb and
incorporate existing religious practice into worship of the new
pantheon. The cult of Shallya became very swiftly established
in Couronne, following a series of miraculous healings at its
sacred springs (once sacred to the Lady of the Lake) which
were claimed as acts of Shallya by charismatic missionaries.
The new pantheon were very much urban deities, and a slow
but inexorable process of religious change began whereby the
other cults were pushed to the rural margins of society, though
Manann remained important in the great ports. The cult of
Taal (and to a lesser extent the cult of Rhya) regrouped and
retained its strength in the farming communities. The cult of
Ulric remained the most important cult amongst the Norse of
Armorique, who strongly resisted the incursions of these soft
southern deities. The cult hardest hit by the success of the new
pantheon was the Old Faith, whose followers were reduced to a
small number of villages in the most isolated areas of the land.
 The greatest challenge to the dominance of the new gods
was to come from the cult of the Lady of the Lake. By the time
the southern pantheon was beginning its advance, the cult of
the Lady had risen to pre-eminence amongst the Bretonni, in
particular, the cult had become closely associated both with the
authority of kings, and the conduct of war. The Lady was the
patron of the developing knightly class, and the source of a
developing code of chivalry. In addition, the cult had
successfully "modernised" its conception of the Lady, who was
now portrayed as upholding both virtue and chastity. The scene
was set for a direct confrontation with the cults of Verena,
Myrmidia, and Shallya, all of whom claimed authority over the
areas of life the cult of the Lady had previously claimed for its
own. In the long term, the southern deities clearly had the
resources to ensure their ascendancy: they were better
organised and brought with them access to learning and
technology that was manifestly superior to that of the Bretonni.
The battle for supremacy was, however, set to be a slow one of
gradual change, and in many places all the cults coexisted
peacefully. One man was to change this however, and make the
ascendancy of the southern cults swift and inevitable: Gilles le
Breton.
Gilles le Breton and the Politicisation of the Cults
 Gilles le Breton was the ruler of a petty kingdom
centered on the city of Guisoreux. An extraordinarily capable
military leader, he dreamed of establishing himself as king of
all the Bretonni. To claim such authority, however, he realised
he would need some means of legitimising himself. He needed
divine approval. All kings were traditionally declared beloved
by the Lady of the Lake, (indeed, despite his ultimately
catastrophic role in the history of the cult, it seems Gilles
himself had participated in such a ritual), but Gilles would
need greater authority than this. He would need to be
decisively declared King of all Bretonni by divine right. The cult
of the Lady of the Lake had no single recognised high priest
who could make such a declaration and make it stick, but the
new cults of the south did. Political necessity drove him to a
drastic choice. Gilles conquered his kingdom, but then turned
to the gods of the south to legitimise his claim to kingship. The
high priests of the cults of Morr, Verena, and Myrmidia, seizing
the opportunity, declared him the chosen of the gods. The high
priest of Shallya, Leyeur, was harder to convince. The cult
effectively ruled Couronne and its environs as a kingdom of
their own, and were loath to swear fealty to Gilles. It was only
after Gilles had conquered most of his kingdom and stood with
his army before the gates of Couronne that Leyeur bowed to the
inevitable. The new King of Bretonnia was declared ruler by
divine right. The unholy alliance of king and priests that was to
dominate the entire history of the kingdom began with
Chlotharius, high priest of Verena placing the crown on Gilles'
head. Gilles' line was assured of the support of the cults in
asserting their claim to absolute rule of Bretonnia. The cults,
favoured by the new king, would spread unhindered
throughout the entire kingdom, achieving complete pre-
eminience over their rivals.
 The coronation of Gilles was to have a disastrous effect
on the fortunes of the cult of the Lady of the Lake. There is
considerable evidence (though often suppressed by the
southern cults) that Gilles had been a devoted follower of the
Lady for most of his life, and probably never meant to
repudiate the cult by claiming the support of the southern
deities. The "Chanson de Gilles" in particular shows Gilles to be
a champion of the Lady, accomplishing mighty deeds in her
name (it should be noted, however, that the "Chanson", and the
troubadour tradition that produced it, are associated with
those noble families who have remained devoted to the Lady).
However, even if unintended, Gilles' actions essentially cut the
cult's link to kingship, ensuring the decline of its political
influence. The cult that once secured the authority of all the
kings of the Bretonni no longer secured the authority of the
sole remaining king. The cult was never officially abandoned,
but most of the knights of the realm swiftly changed their
allegiance to the cult of Myrmidia, leaving only a handful of
stubborn traditionalists remaining as the Lady's followers.
Many of the Lady's aspects, holy sites, and rituals were taken
over by the cults of Shallya, Verena, and Myrmidia. Within a
couple of generations, the cult of the Lady of the Lake had all
but disappeared, and the cults of Shallya, Verena, and
Myrmidia were the most important cults in Bretonnia, as they
remain to this day. The relationship between the cults and the
monarch was regularised with the formation of the Holy
Council by Guillaume Barbenoire, Gilles' grandson. The council
was to advise the King and had authority over all religious
matters in the kingdom. By Guillaume's time the cults of Taal,
Ulric, and Manann had developed an organisational structure
similar to that of the southern pantheon, and there was an
uneasy peace between these major cults. Therefore the council
had seven members, the high priests of each of the cults of
Shallya, Verena, Myrmidia, Morr, Taal, Ulric, and Manann.
They were each given the title Cardinal, as a recognition of
their importance to the kingdom. The Council has ensured that
a king of le Breton's line has ruled Bretonnia for 1500 years,
bringing the kingdom unparalleled peace and stability. The
cost to the independence (and some say the very souls) of the
cults has, however, been high. Many aspects of the doctrine
and practice of the Bretonnian cults have been affected by the
centuries-long link to the monarchy. In the Empire it is often
said that all Bretonnian nobles are vain, and all Bretonnian
priests are corrupt...
I.3. Régence

When the regent Gontrand le Bien Bel didn't wake up

the day after an especially outrageous party, nobody at court
seemed very surprised. Indeed, everybody had known that the
regent's continued excesses would eventually get the better of
his fragile health. Many were in fact relieved when they learnt
the news; the regency was finished, at last the king would reign.
After the accidental death of the previous king, Charles
II de la Dure, in 2500, it had been decided to nominate his
brother Gontrand Duc de Gascogne to be the kingdoms regent,
until the rightful heir was ready to rule. The regency lasted
much longer than had initially been planned. The word spread
that Charles de la Tête d'Or preferred having fun at his uncle's
sumptuous parties than having to worry about his country's
future. The kingdom, whose administrations were very corrupt
and inefficient, was not faring well and discontent was very
widespread.
The news of the forthcoming coronation of Charles de la
Tête d'Or made the people rejoice and celebrations were
organized throughout the country. For a while the general
situation got better; excellent grain harvests in 2508 and 2510
enabled even the poorest to eat their fill, but this was not to
last.
Assisted by the loyal Shallyan Cardinal Dumourieux, the
young king of Bretonnia, Charles III faces a difficult situation.
In the south, war against Bilbali and its allies seems
unavoidable. While in the miserable suburbs of Guisoreux, the
largest town in the country, outbreaks of violence are becoming
more and more frequent. The cities' governor Brossard has
informed the king of this preoccupying situation by sending
him many letters, as yet without reply. Throughout the country
banditry is very widespread, making road travel dangerous,
while pirates are a constant threat at sea. What's more existing
taxes are overwhelming the people, the royal coffers are almost
empty and the only way to fill them is to invent yet more taxes.
Bretonnia Today

"The once virtuous and chivalrous kingdom of

Bretonnia fares badly these days. A decadent nobility that
spends much of the country's wealth on costly projects to
promote its selfish ambitions and pander to its vain frivolities
dominates Bretonnian society.
The small middle-class strives to earn enough money to
buy their way into the nobility. I have found that they are
often amongst the worst of hypocrites.
The common people are very unhappy, overwhelmed
as they are by taxes. However this must not make us forget
that in many cases they are just as perverted as their masters
are.
The king stands above all men in the kingdom. He rules
by divine right and his powers are such that he can have any
he wishes imprisoned without redress. The king may have
little interest in the populations' misfortune but one has to
acknowledge that he has some good qualities. Namely he
hosts superb balls, dances the minuet to perfection, is a
generous patron of the arts and is said to excel at repartee. So
it seems that in the end, not everything goes badly in the
kingdom of Bretonnia." - by Helmut Ongt, (Nuln, 2511) -

Priests in Bretonnia
 "The priests of Morr charge you an arm and a leg for a
simple funeral rite, and sit on their piles of gold like carrion
crows on corpses, the priests of Verena know a thousand ways
to deceive a man without ever telling a lie, the priests of
Myrmidia are more interested in fighting battles in the court
than on the field, and the priests of Shallya are neither humble
nor merciful. The only honest priests in the whole kingdom
must be those of Ranald, because they'll tell you to your face
they're going to rob you blind, spin you a pack of lies, and walk
away with their heads held high."
I.4. The Cult of Shallya
 Of all the Bretonnian cults, it is the cult of Shallya that
has become the most corrupt. Paradoxically, it is also the cult
of Shallya that is best loved by the common people, and
perhaps is best able on occasion to rise above its corruption
and genuinely communicate something of its true ideals. The
cult has become thoroughly accepted by Bretonnians, both in
urban and rural areas, and dove pendants are very common
talismans, even amongst those who do not count themselves as
especially devout. Shallya tends to appeal to the downtrodden
of Bretonnia. Due to years of oppression, they turn to her to
heal their pain - so the Cult of Shallya, in contrast to the Cult of
Myrmidia, is seen as lower class. It is in the poorest areas of the
cities that the Shallyans are most active, running soup
kitchens, and ministering to the sick. The appeal of Shallya is
not entirely restricted to the lower classes however,
disillusioned or penitent aristocrats, nobles hating the
decadent lifestyle they were born into, those driven from power
or shamed may also find refuge in the Cult of Shallya. In
addition, the cult runs convents for noble women of ill repute
or those who do not wish to marry or do not have the dowry
(perhaps because their families will not provide it) - and this is
yet another noble connection. Finally, of course, there are those
from all walks of life whose natural temperament and
sympathies draw them to the worship of the goddess (this
includes some physicians). So the membership of the cult is an
awkward mixture between the poor and down-trodden, who
often lack the education and subtlety required for high office,
and the idealistic and (supposedly) repentant nobility, who are
well-educated but have never really known what life on the
streets is actually like. Unsurprisingly, most of the cult's
leadership is drawn from this latter body. This creates an
inherent tension within the cult, between its grassroots
members and the majority of the leadership who have very
different perspectives. In addition, as noted above, the
leadership of the cult tends to be made up of either idealists,
blind to the evils of the world, or the disillusioned, cynical, and
repentant, who are often then placed in positions where
temptation is all around them. Naturally, this is a recipe for
disaster. There are a large number of corrupt clergy within the
cult, surrounded and overseen by good people who would
rather believe the best of those around them. Abuse of power,
sex scandals, embezzling of funds, orgies and drunkenness
abound.

I.5. The Chaos Cults

Chaos Cultists are far less numerous in Bretonnia than

they are in the Empire. Adventurers expecting to find Chaos
cultists at the bottom of every plot and intrigue will often find
themselves searching in vain. Bretonnian culture has been
profoundly affected by the taint of Chaos, but this does not
express itself primarily in direct worship of the Chaos gods.
Many Bretonnian nobles are in fact profoundly perverse,
displaying extremes of cruelty, immorality, greed, pride, and a
general willingness to indulge in the darker desires of the
human heart, that makes them notorious throughout the Old
World. In many ways, the Bretonnian cults have turned away
from the ideals they should be upholding and their worship is
often an empty meaningless thing that exists only to justify the
political power wielded by the cults themselves. It is just as
satisfying to the gods of Chaos to see a group of people who
think they are devout Shallyans exploiting the sick and poor,
living lives of obscene luxury, and indulging in the occasional
orgy, as it would be if these people actually established
themselves as a cult of Slaanesh. Bretonnian society as a whole
turns a blind eye to the excesses of the rich and powerful, and
such things are never openly discussed at court except by the
most jaded and perverted aristocrats, who simply don't care
about appearances. However, it is common knowledge that
some nobles have rather eccentric tastes. Open worship of the
Chaos gods occurs nowhere except in Moussillon.
 The most popular of the Chaos powers in Bretonnia is
indisputably Slaanesh. Most circles of nobility have some
connection to secret orgiastic societies, whether or not they are
full cults of Slaanesh. The main Slaaneshi cult in the kingdom
is the "Purple hour", and many influential nobles have taken
part in orgies organised by the cult. Slaaneshi cults tend to be
organised by the aristocracy, but often include members of the
merchant classes, and often numerous pretty peasants. For the
lower classes joining the cult of Slaanesh can occasionally
appeal to their desire for social advancement as well as their
more earthly desires, as an attractive or well-endowed peasant
can find themselves plucked from obscurity to be given a place
of influence in a noble's service because of certain other
services they render in the activities of the cult. In Couronne
the prevailing cult of pleasure is largely inspired by Slaanesh.
Shrines to Slaanesh can be found hidden away on many
estates, and it is rumoured that there is a temple hidden
somewhere in the Oisillon palace and grounds.
 Nurgle is, unsurprisingly, very popular amongst the
urban poor. A cult which teaches that disease and squalor are
power, that these very tools of oppression can be employed as a
weapon against the powers that be, has obvious appeal. In
times of plague many will offer prayers to both Shallya and
Nurgle. The cult of Shallya, although convinced of the need to
oppose Nurgle, does not see the cult as a real threat and is in
any event too corrupt itself to do much to resist its influence. It
is, however, largely due to the activities of the grass-roots
members of the cult of Shallya (often branded heretical by their
superiors) that the cult of Nurgle has not completely captured
the souls of the poor. Worship of Nurgle is still seen by the
majority of the population as wrong (rather than simply being
illegal), and as something that displeases Shallya (indeed those
invoking Nurgle will often carefully conceal any symbol of
Shallya before doing so, in the superstitious belief that if they
cannot see the goddess then she cannot see them). Temples to
Nurgle exist in the sewers of several Bretonnian cities.
Tzeentch has some adepts amongst the nobility,
though many powerful nobles are perfectly capable of
Machiavellian scheming without any need of inspiration by the
Lord of Change. The most significant followers of Tzeentch are
probably found in academia, where wizards and sages
occasionally find themselves drawn into his worship through
their desire for esoteric knowledge forbidden by the
authorities.
Khorne has never had much appeal, except to some
members of the military. However, in an environment in which
clerics of Myrmidia argue that making a bloody example of a
village or two is the most expedient way of crushing a peasant
revolt, identifying followers of the blood god is not always easy.
II. Cities & Provinces of Bretonnia
II.1. Map of Bretonnia
II.2. Descriptions of the Main Cities
of Bretonnia

"I've found that all the descriptions of Bretonnian

towns in your manual page 274-277 amount to the same
thing; The Bretonnian nobility is decadent and corrupt, the
poor die of hunger, and from all kind of awful diseases and
calimities without any of the nobles even caring about it; not
to mention crime that seems to be more common than
anywhere else in the Old World. Dare I suggest however, that
we may be missing some important information that could
help us get a better idea ? Please pardon me, but it seems like
these descriptions were written by a Marienburgese scribe,
frustrated for not being given a good seat at the Opera in
Oisillon. Throughout this text, I see only compassion for the
poor and criticism of the aristocracy..."
- written by the Talabeclander baron Gunthar von
Karajan in the year 2506 -

All the Bretonnian cities as described in the WFRP1

rulebook seem somewhat unpleasant and some seem so awful
that you will have major trouble as a GM to convince the PCs to
even go near the place. This is problem, particularly since city
based adventures play such a great role in WFRP. Our general
impression at Bretonnia-Project is that some of the
descriptions in the rulebook are just too nasty to be true, and
that they need to be taken with a pinch of salt. In Bretonnia-
Sourcebook, we have worked at writing complementary
description, which make the largest Bretonnian cities
(Guisoreux, Quenelles, etc.) more useful for Bretonnian
campaigns. Obviously, this is not to say that the lower-depths
of the Bretonnian cities are the nicest of places...

* From the most pleasant to the most horrid...

1. Couronne
 2. Parravon
3. L'Anguille
4. Bordeleaux *
5. Brionne
6. Guisoreux
7. Quenelles
8. Moussillon
(* personnal preferences may vary)

Guisoreux
Guisoreux is the largest and most important city in
Bretonnia and the second largest in the Old World after
Marienburg. Traditionally it has been seen as the capital of
Bretonnia, and although the king no longer resides there it is
still home to many important nobles and houses much of the
kingdom's government.
The city's governor is Victoire Breville, Vicomte de
Brossard. He is getting rather old and addled, but since he
doesn't offend anyone no-one wishes to replace him. Generally,
the intrigues of the city's big players go unnoticed by him and
there is constant maneuvering.
Guisoreux is sited in a strategically important position
in the Ois gap. However, it has not been attacked for over two
centuries now. The city is ringed by a set of high walls, which
are sufficient to keep out most querulous peasants but
probably not a well-appointed army. Also the expansion of the
city since their construction means that over half the
population lives outside the walls. Because of its position and
importance, Guisoreux boasts a substantial garrison of
mercenaries. In addition, many troops of the regular army are
stationed at Chateau Luneville, not far from the city; they
sometimes visit for a day or two to spend their pay in a suitably
reckless manner
 Living in the largest and most important city in
Bretonnia, featuring the Guisonne University, many major
temples and dozens of other major sights, Guisoreux's citizens
have a justifiable sense of pride and self-importance, which
shines through the dirt and squalor in which they live.
Although there is still a lingering sense of respect for the king's
law, the citizens have never balked at showing their
disapproval of royal or noble actions, and there is a certain
arrogance and stubbornness at all levels. Riots, complaints and
protests are regular events.
Naturally, being so huge and important, Guisoreux
attracts a great deal of trade in almost all products, and is a
manufacturing and commercial centre of major importance.
There are trade connections with nearly every city in the Old
World (and quite a few beyond) and almost anything can be
bought or sold in the city if you're patient - and desperate -
enough

The Catacombs of Guisoreux

Beneath Guisoreux vast catacombs house the city's dead.
The catacombs are ancient, their origins lost in the mists of
time, but since anyone can remember they have been watched
over by the cult of Morr. They are accessible from entrances in
the temple and a number of shrines throughout the city, where
funeral services are held. In the well tended parts priests and
acolytes of Morr pace the tunnels and tend to the crypts. What
is less well known, however, is the fact that the true extent of
the catacomb network is largely unknown. Beyond the most
used areas, tunnels wind their way for miles. The catacombs
watched over by the cult of Morr comprise only a small area of
a maze of interconnected passageways and chambers
constructed for a multitude of purposes by a multitude of
different tunnelers. The most obvious of these underground
networks being of course the city's sewer system. It intersects
with the older catacombs at many points, though in theory any
direct connections between the city's graves and its sewer
system have long been sealed up.
 Nearly every house in Guisoreux has a cellar, though in
practice the less privileged households of the city tend to place
less value on the correct storage of classic vintages; more often
than not they are used to provide cramped and cheap
accommodation, often for students (in fact, it is from this
common use of subterranean rooms that students have
acquired their nickname to the public: 'les taupes' - 'the moles')
who appreciate being able to hide their indulgences from the
gaze of decent society.
Fairly common too are underground passages which run
between blocks of houses, entered from cellars or semi-secret
entrances (sometimes through fountains, innocuous side
doors, trapdoors in alleyways and even, if you don't mind the
smell, a privy). Rich merchants pay to have a private tunnel put
in from their house, ostensibly to go to worship or save
themselves from the hazards and exertions of open air travel;
in reality, they feel the need for an emergency escape route
from the mob. It is no secret that such access points to the
catacombs exist which are not guarded by the cult, but
everyone prefers to believe that the network of passages is less
well-used and less extensive than is in fact the case. After all,
no-one likes to think that the trapdoor in their cellar might be
all that separates them from gangs of Grave-robbers or worse.
The majority of people are familiar with only a small number of
tunnels used for regular journeys; it is good sense not to
divulge the secrets of the tunnels to all and sundry. Robberies
and rapes frequently take place in the darkened tunnels, and a
fair number of people have simply gone into one tunnel and
never come out the other end. Rumours abound of pale-faced
gangs of cut-throats, apparently calling themselves 'les
fossoyeurs' ('the gravediggers') who work exclusively in the
tunnels, digging their own secret passages to break into other,
normally safe routes. But those who have looked into the many
darker corners of Guisoreux's hidden labyrinth know of far
more exotic and dangerous things than a few footpads lurking
in burrows...
 For centuries these tunnels have been used as meeting
places for those who seek to escape the prying eyes of the
King's authority. Clandestine affairs, secret business deals,
treacherous plots, drug-crazed orgies, all have taken place in
the catacombs. Thieves, students, rakes, and lovers routinely
use the passages nearer the surface to pass the Louisian wall at
night for their various purposes. Elsewhere, where light never
challenges the dark and slithering things feast on unguarded
bodies, Chaos and evil make their home.

Parravon
"The city itself is quite unusual. It rests within a
narrow valley, and is built along the river with its back to the
breathtaking chalk cliffs. The narrowness of the valley has
twisted Parravon into an unusual shape, and the city is long
and narrow following along the river, with only three or four
major thorough fares running lengthwise along the city. The
houses are narrow with multiple floors and the streets are
narrow cobblestone affairs, encroached upon by the cramped
houses. Some of the houses are built into the cliffs. The
northernmost part of the town is where the docks are located,
and as one heads south upstream the quality of the housing
improves, until one arrives at the southernmost portion
where the nobility live in their large and spacious estates
surrounded by their famous Parravonian gardens. Near the
top of the cliff lies the palace of the Duc de Parravon, Armand
de Coquerone, a wealthy and influential noble who controls
much of the area."
 The smallest and quietest of Bretonnia's cities, Parravon
is a byword for sleepy provinciality. Its nobles are barely seen
at court, its inhabitants are for the most part inward-looking,
reclusive, and completely lacking in wanderlust. The city itself
is beautiful, full of character, and reknowned for its gardens,
but few outsiders ever come here for long. In some ways,
however, these popular stereotypes are very wide of the mark.
The city's strategic position close to Axe-bite pass makes it a
key entry point to the kingdom from the Empire. There is a
small but significant Imperial immigrant community here, and
the city has a high military presence. Parravon's status as a
backwater has also made it a focal point for all sorts of
malcontents anxious to operate away from the eyes of the
authorities and its developing print trade has a disturbingly
radical edge to it.

Moussillon
I had travelled a good part of the day under a grey and
menacing sky, following a narrow band of ochre coloured
ground that an old hermit monk had pointed out to me as
being the road to Moussillon.
"That's where you have to go to cross the river lad,
there is no other way...unless you go back many leagues" The
man, whose skin was as wrinkled as that of a dried up apple,
had told me. Smiling as if the obligation to pass through the
town was something that amused him and that he enjoyed
like a good joke, he had left giggling loudly through his
toothless jaw. Thus I was following the road shown to me by
this hermit, whose strange behaviour, I had attributed to the
massive consumption of self-distilled alcohol, which heavily
impregnated his breath.
 After more than four hours travel, the wind had fallen
to leave way to humidity and cold as the road approached a
miasma infected swamp; I tried to catch a glimpse of the
town's walls and towers in the distance, but in vain, the
horizon lost itself in a grey and vaporous haze. The only thing
around was a deserted and muddy moor, spattered only by
occasionnal water holes and patches of furze. A bit further
where the land was a bit more settled, I discerned a twisted
and tortured copse of trees.
My cart was now rolling on a much larger earth track,
which had been reinforced using much sand and loose stone.
The land at the sides of the road remained muddy however,
and it took much effort to pull my cart out after the horse had
dragged me off-course. The haze had changed into a thick and
acrid smelling smoke which made it impossible to see more
than ten meters away. At the back of the wag, the
DAGOLBACH pots and pans tinkled like many dissonant
carillon bells, indifferent to the snoring of Gautielbe, my road
companion. The din was absorbed by the moor, thereby
betraying the total flatness of the region. For the time being,
the light of the tempest-lamp hooked at the front of the
carriage was the only thing that helped me avoid going down
in the ditch again. Having to push with all my weight knee
deep in turf to free the cart from the swamps hold, was not a
prospect which I particularly relished. I scrutinized the
landscape in search of a sheltered place. Darkness was
starting to fall and I needed to find somewhere to spend the
night, if I didn't want to die frozen in these putrid swamps.
"Yes, come and see the new marvels from the Empire !
They don't wear ! They don't burn ! They don't even get dirty !
Yes, it's the pots, it's the pans, it's the cauldrons DA-GOL-
BACH. Admire the difference, touch them, ask for them, buy
them..."
 I smiled, thinking of the coaxing sales patter I would
serve on the market square to dazed strollers the next
morning, and also thinking of the good bed which I would no
doubt find in an inn just behind the city walls, which had
suddenly appeared a few meters in front of my cart.
- Taken from 'My travels and tribulations' by Arbacesse
Belgarate, travelling merchant -

Moussillon's name is still a byword for degeneration

throughout Bretonnia, and is virtually never mentioned at the
Oisillon Palace. Most people would rather forget about the
place altogether. Very little is actually known for sure about
what happens there, other than what is spread by disquieting
rumours.
Some measure of the disorder and decay within the city
can be gathered from the fact that its governor, Eustache de
Poissy, Chatelain de Sancerre, has never even visited it; he
dwells at the Oisillon Palace, having the small revenue the post
brings sent to him and occasionally corresponding with
Armand Charnaud, a priest of Verena known as 'Pretre
Armand' (known and respected for his fiery sermons and
indomitable faith) who performs the actual duties of governor
within the city. Lack of money is his greatest difficulty.
 Moussillon is situated in the marshy valley of the River
Grismarie, some 15 leagues away from the sea. Disasters have
marred the cities' history since 2438 IC, before which it was a
pleasant, wealthy trading port known as 'the jewel of the
western coast'. Earthquakes, floods and subsequent outbreaks
of pox have struck the city, leaving much of the old centre a
desolate ruin. Perpetual damp and frequent thick fogs are a
lingering sign of these afflictions. There have been no
successful attempts to rebuild the whole city so far, despite
noble and even royal patronage in the past, and only the official
buildings have been properly refurbished for the governor's
use. Even wealthy houses have only been restored to a
semblance of their former grandeur, and several areas have not
yet been cleared of rubble. Many of the lower classes have
moved to shanty towns outside the old city walls. Life there is
hard and dirty; what the people gain from leaving the walls
they lose to even higher levels of crime and overcrowding.
Religious life is surprisingly active in Moussillon, with small
shrines and temples proliferating across the city; not all are
dedicated to the commonly accepted deities, however, and
there are many Chaos worshippers at large. While the governor
is actively trying to increase his authority, there are still terrible
problems from criminals of all sorts, and especially from
mutants, who abound in the downhearted and diseased city.
Misery and illness are near-constant companions for the
citizens of Moussillon, so much so that comparatively few
people feel motivated to try and restore the city to what it once
was.
Successive governors (the last Duc de Moussillon, Jean-
Luc Maldred died of the pox in 2450 IC) have combined the
functions of city watch and garrison into a single large body
referred to in the city as 'L'Armée de Fer' (the Iron Army, after
the armour the troops wear); there have been no official
inspections of Moussillon for several decades now, so Pretre
Armand and his men can do pretty much what they like.
Although the Armée de Fer is brutal and trying hard to expand,
as yet it is far too small to bring real order to the city.
 Trade in the city is at a low ebb; most citizens have
difficulty getting enough food and drink to survive, for the
surrounding towns are extremely reluctant to do business with
Moussillon for fear of the pox. A few ships and barges still
come into Moussillon, as do some more adventurous land-
bound merchants; most of them bring much-needed foodstuffs.
The ruins within the old city are scavenged for items with
which to buy food, and many merchants have been pleasantly
surprised at the payments they have been offered. A few of the
vineyards that once made the city's fortune survive and are
cultivated.

Quenelles
Quenelles is a large city, famously dominated by its
noble classes, where the conflict between the ruling classes and
the poor is more evident than anywhere else in Bretonnia.
The governor of Quenelles is Edmond-Antoine Noblat
de la Renardiere, a minor member of the royal family. He is
closely allied to the cruel Calixte Tremaine, Viscomte de
Quenelles, leading local landowner and a major power in the
city. Though new, De la Renardiere is noted for his bluster and
cruelty, and likes to provoke discord in the council he is meant
to lead, merely for the fun of a good quarrel. This council
comprises the richest citizens and clerics 'of respectable
station' (i.e. of noble birth) in the city.
Quenelles' walls have long been in a poor state of repair,
and would provide almost no protection in the event of attack;
they have also been outgrown by the city's swelling population.
The city watch is unusually large and detested by the people for
its corruption and wanton brutality. It is employed mainly to
protect the nobles' quarter, situated in hills to the north and
named Beaumont. Watch patrols in the dark, filthy streets of
the city often turn into running battles with the populace. Local
nobles visit the town accompanied with large retinues of
bodyguards ready to take law into their own hands if necessary.
 Squalor and struggle characterise the existence of the
bulk of Quenelles' citizens. They are kept poor by extortionate
taxes and crime, with stealing and violence of all sorts
(including, technically illegal, organised pit fights) being
common. The rich inhabitants of Quenelles are said to be
especially ribald and decadent, even by Bretonnian standards.
There are very few citizens that could be called middle-class.
Wizards (universally called witches), agitators, printers and
followers of Ranald are hounded by the city's rulers who see
them as a seditious threat to their position. Any attempt to
fight against the authorities - there are many riots and
rebellious groups in Quenelles - is hampered by lack of
organisation and the corruption of so many desperate citizens
ready to sell their companions out to the watch. Some Tileans
live in Quenelles, bringing trade and culture; they range from
aristocrats, artists and wizards, all patronised by the rich, down
to dangerous cultists and common thieves.
For all its troubles, Quenelles is an important producer
of textiles (especially tapestries) and woodwork, amongst other
things; however, work is often hampered by crime and unrest
in the city. All luxury items and much of the food and money
entering the city goes straight to the high towers of the nobles
of Beaumont, causing yet more resentment and forcing the
bulk of the population into a state of poverty and reliance on a
barter economy. Anyone flashing cash or finery around in
Quenelles will not last long.

L'Anguille
The Kingdom's major northern port and the home of the
Royal Navy, the staunch city of l'Anguille is built on the site of
the ancient Elven Old World colony of Tor Alessi, of which
nothing now remains except for its famous lighthouse of black
stone.
 Though overshadowed by its close neighbour and
longtime rival Marienburg, L'Anguille remains a vibrant port,
where goods from Norsca, Albion and even the New World are
traded. The L'Anguillois have a strong reputation as
entrepreneurs and as fine sailors, skills that lend themselves as
easily to service in the navy or life as a legitimate merchant
captain as they do to being a privateer or smuggler, and the
city's favourite sons tend to cross these boundaries rather
easily. Woe betide anyone, however, who suggests that they are
pirates or thieves. The L'Anguillois pride themselves on being a
cut above the sort of scum you'd find in Brionne.
L'Anguille is largest city north of Guisoreux, slightly
exceeding Couronne in size. The current governor is Seigneur
Xavier Gevaudan, a weak and vacillating member of the Blois
family, who is manipulated by the cunning Henri Loiseau, Duc
de l'Anguille. The governor's actions are hampered by the
efforts of Bernard Granvelle, Comte de Perrac, who commands
the support of many guilds and important merchants in the city
and is opposed to Loiseau.

Bordeleaux
Bordeleaux is the second port of Bretonnia and the
capital of Gascogne. Increased wealth and culture have come to
the city in recent years, mainly on the back of the burgeoning
wine trade. Many now consider it on a par with Guisoreux in
terms of sophistication. Bordeleaux's affluence is not evenly
spread however, and there are a great many poor living in
shantytowns, stealing and even killing just for a bottle of wine
to drown their sorrows.
 Jules Blois, Duc de Gascogne, is the royal governor of
Bordeleaux. His main interests are wine and high living; he is a
popular figurehead in the city, but the real decision-makers are
his wife Blanche de la Rose Amboise and their son Hubert de la
Motte, Marquis de Frejus (who usually resides in the Oisillon
Palace). By tradition, the governor's hand has not lain heavy on
Bordeleaux, and the city's guild council, dominated by the wine
merchants, tackles most day to day matters; the noble rulers
divide their time between their lavish mansions in the Place
Royale and their equally extravagant chateaux in the Morceaux
valley.
Situated in less-threatened southern waters, Bordeleaux
is not home to such a large part of the navy as l'Anguille, and
the only modern warships are stationed at the military port of
Rochefort, situated at the Navarrese border. In practice the
city's mercenary garrison spends as much time patrolling the
streets alongside the watch as manning the walls, and the
troops' pay is mainly spent on wine and women. The great
merchant houses, such as La Primante, employ their own
mercenary forces partly of native Bretonnians to protect ships
and land-bound possessions.
Having a good time is the main aim of the rich; work is seen as
just a distasteful preliminary. The lower classes aspire to this
happy state, but most can only stretch to drowning their
sorrows in the occasional night of revelry in the notorious
waterside Quartier Bleu, den of lechery and debauchery of all
kinds. Cynical observers claim the comparative rarity of major
riots in the city is linked to the volume of alcohol consumed in
Bordeleaux. Literature, scholarship and art are well patronised
in the acclaimed university of Bordeleaux, and all citizens take
pride in this cultural refinement. As a major port, Bordeleaux
has a large foreign community, though this has rarely been a
cause of trouble; most visitors enjoy the cheap wine too much
to be a nuisance.
 Wine is the greatest export of Bordeleaux, dominating
its life and trade. It is exported far and wide, mainly by sea
routes. Furniture, jewellery, luxury foods and grain from
Gascogne, fish and hand-crafted goods are also produced.
There are strong links between Bordeleaux and the New World;
most products of the Bretonnian colonies (including chocolate,
coffee and tobacco) arrive in the city's port and are highly
valued as luxuries all over the Old World.

Brionne
Brionne, the city of thieves ? "Come on ! The poor have
vice in their blood, I'll obviously admit to that. But isn't it the
same everywhere else, isn't it inevitable ? Thanks to the gods
and governor De Jolensac order reigns, what more could we
ask for ? I sincerely believe Brionne suffers from a bad
reputation that it doesn't deserve. I can only suggest that the
role played by our city in the defense of the Kingdom against
the Bilbalian ambitions needs to be better understood."
- Elias-Henry de Grapencourt, noble of Brionne -
 For most people, Brionne has become synonymous
with crime, the cult of Ranald, and treacherous dealings. Those
from the north of Bretonnia are ever distrustful of the
Navarrese, and that goes double for the inhabitants of Brionne.
It is a major port, but few merchant houses risk sailing rich
cargoes towards it. It is reputed that hardly any of the produce
sold in Brionne's markets can be traced back to its point of
origin without at least one less than legitimate change of
hands. In fact, however, the city is nowhere near as lawless as
its reputation makes out. It is true that the cult of Ranald is
tolerated here in a way that is unheard of in other Bretonnian
cities, but worship is still not completely open. It is true that
the port is full of pirates, but most of these are chartered to
privateer on Estalian shipping. It is true that the governor,
Pierre de Jolensac originally a petty baron from Armorique, is
thoroughly corrupt, but his ability to work hand in glove with
the Cartel des Poings, the local thieves' guild, ensures that a
certain rough justice prevails. As long as you pay your dues to
one of the local crime lords, the streets of Brionne are
considerably safer than those of Guisoreux, where the mob and
the gangs answer to no-one.
Couronne
Couronne is primarily known for its great cathedral of
Shallya and its spas. It is also an important market town for the
agricultural produces of the Valley du Sannez.
Godefroi de Guinard, Duc de Couronne, is governor of
Couronne, an old and crotchety fellow. He owes his power to
Cardinal Dumourieux, who renewed the Duc's family's
declining position and installed him as governor; Guinard
resents his need to obey the Cardinal and his brother Henri-
Philippe, and from time to time makes motions towards revolt.
But so far he has not summoned up the courage to do so.
The governor is only responsible for civil affairs in
Couronne; unusually, the city has a military governor with
freedom of action who can even override the civilian governor's
decisions during wartime. Gustave Beauregard, Seigneur
d'Oche, was granted these special powers by the King
Charles II De la Dure who recognised in him one of the most
capable military Engineers in the Old World. Under him,
Couronne has been developed into an important stronghold
and military centre. The city's fortifications have been
modernised, and the royal Manufacture was built, which
produces cannons and firearms. Some citizens are trained in
the use of artillery, and a large number of regular troops are
quartered in the forts surrounding the city.
Life in Couronne is generally pleasant: the city is clean
and comfortable, with a temperate climate. Food is plentiful
and most of the people are content. However, the presence of
pilgrims and soldiers sometimes leads to friction.
 The spas and their visitors are an important source of
source of activity in Couronne: all those who come need a place
to stay and things to eat, providing much employment for the
city's inhabitants. The high-quality agricultural products of the
region are brought to Couronne, whence they are taken to
Guisoreux or Marienburg; much of the grain needed to feed the
populations of these large cities comes from the Valley du
Sannez, which is also noted for its cheeses. The presence of the
Manufacture and the army is profitable, too, though all military
business is carefully watched and controlled by military
governor Beauregard.

II.3. Le Massif Orcal

The great mountain range that dominates central

Bretonnia is known as the Massif Orcal and its highest peak is
known as Orquemont. These mountains have been occupied by
tribes of Orcs and Goblins since even before the Elves came to
the shores of Bretonnia. The region is riddled with caves, some
of which are inhabited by primitive human tribes. The only
villages in this inhospitable region are heavily fortified and are
inhabited by miserable, diseased and superstitious peasants,
who cling on to age-old traditions. The knights here are little
more than armed bullies who misuse the peasantry rather than
protect them, despite their claims of allegiance to the Lady of
the Lake.
 When Orc raids become frequent enough to come to the
attention of the surrounding rulers (particularly those of the
province of Lyonnais), the might of Bretonnia is gathered en
masse and the army advances into the hills to cast down the
Orc strongholds and destroy every greenskin that can be found.
Somehow the brave knights and determined troops are never
able to completely eradicate the greenskin tribes and the
process must be repeated a year or two later.
There are few marked trails and no roads running
through the Massif Orcal, but there is one well worn track in
the southern foothills which links the towns of Chimay and
Mufflons.
II.4. Provincial Map of Bretonnia
 The Kingdom of Bretonnia is traditionnaly made up of
seven provinces each one with independent troops (the
provincial companies), customs and even parliaments.
However, the power of the provinces has been restricted by
successive monarchs leading to the current situation of
absolute monarchy.

II.5. Description of the Provinces of Bretonnia

Les Flandres
For many centuries, the north-eastern province of
Flandres was seen as dismal by the nobility of Bretonnia.
Although it had a number of ports and some good agricultural
land notably around the Sannez valley, by and large it was a
wet, cold and miserable place, marked by marshes and
moorland. Its Eastern border was studded with the castles of
the ancient families who stood watch against the threat of
invasion from the Empire, and its countryside was full of
superstitious peasants and covens of witches.
All this has gradually changed as the area has become a
centre for the cloth industry, weaving and dying the wool
imported from Albion and exporting it across the Old World.
The towns of Flandres are now fairly prosperous, and its
merchants increasingly influential. As a result, the old nobility
like the Artois are losing power to the new nobility with close
links to the rising merchant class like the Dumourieux.
Stereotypes: "The Flemings? They're more than half
Marienburger, even their nobles are surrounded by bankers
and lawyers."
Major noble families : Dumourieux, Artois
Main towns : Couronne, Antorpe

L’Armorique
L'Armorique has a unique culture, slightly different
from the rest of Bretonnia. In part, this is because of its
location. Cut off from the heartland of the kingdom by the
Arden Forest (and now also by the desolated area around
Moussillon), the region has always been a bit of a backwater,
and cultural changes take longer to penetrate here. With
Moussillon gone, and L'Anguille increasingly steering its own
course (the city is peripheral to the province and tends to look
east rather than west), L'Armorique lacks any major urban
settlements, giving it a highly provincial, antiquated, feel.
Historically, this region was a centre of Norse
settlement, and many of its strange and archaic customs can be
traced back to Norse origins. The southern cults have never
established themselves here to the degree they did elsewhere,
and in the more isolated rural areas of the province worship of
the Lady (and, less commonly, the Old Faith) is quite
prevalent. In the coastal towns and surrounding fishing villages
it is the northern cults of Ulric, Manann, and Taal that are most
influential. Gradually, however, merchants are starting to have
influence here as the cash-strapped nobility turn to them, even
in some instances allowing them to marry into their families to
avoid financial ruin.

Stereotypes: "The Armoricans? An old-fashioned lot, the

nobles ride around in rusted armour like the knights of old
while the peasants worship old gods no-one's ever heard of
around their stone circles."
Major noble families : De Cabourg, Loiseau, Granvelle
Main towns : L'Anguille, Saint-Leu, Martel, Moussillon
Le Breton
This is the heartland of Bretonnia, the land of the
kingdom's founder, Giles le Breton, and its largest province.
Breton covers a diverse area that includes some of the
kingdom's largest wilderness areas, the Arden Forest, the Pale
Sisters, the Chalons Forest, and the northernmost ends of the
Grey Mountains and Massif Orcal. It also contains some of the
Kingdom's best agricultural land, its towns have all the cultural
and technological advantages of being close to the capital, and
it has a greater proportion of major nobles than any other
province (most of them connected to the Royal Blois family).
The stereotypical foreigner's picture of Bretonnia:
peasants toiling in fields, sleepy villages, nobles in palaces in
walled estates, and fashion-conscious and stylish gentry in the
towns is actually based on Breton. The inhabitants of Breton
(who often style themselves "true Bretonnians") are proud of
their province, and see themselves as being a cut above
everyone else.

Stereotypes: "The Bretons? They think they're better than

anyone else, don't they? Every other farmer you meet will tell
you that he's descended from Giles le Breton. He must have
sired bastards on every wench he met!"
Major noble families : Blois
Main towns : Guisoreux, Viejoncourt, Fregune, Alençon

La Gascogne
The small rural province of Gascogne is often spoken of
as the most beautiful province of Bretonnia. Artists have for
generations represented it as a rural idyll: in Gascogne the sun
always shines on vineyards and golden cornfields. Beautiful
people lounge by lazy rivers, drinking wine, and eating bread
and cheese.
 Gascogne is the cultural soul of Bretonnia, beloved of
musicians, poets, and painters. Its nobility, especially the
powerful Amboise, are reknowned as patrons of the arts.
Moreover, most inhabitants fancy themselves as artists of some
description, but although the province has produced some true
geniuses, its inhabitants are also responsible for a great
proportion of the kingdom's doggerel verse, sickly sentimental
paintings, and unemployed travelling singers...
Although the artistic visions of peasants frolicking in the
fields are rather far of the mark particularly in the poorer
eastern regions, the province is one of the more pleasant parts
of the kingdom, with even the peasantry living half-way decent
lives.

Stereotypes: "The Gascognes? Bunch of poncy layabouts who

all think they're blessed by the gods. Whatever you do, don't
agree to be subjected to a poem!"
Major noble families : Amboise
Main towns : Bordeleaux, Rochefort, Vergirac, Mufflons

The Cult of Emilion

 The cult of Emilion, god of wine, is a peculiarly
Bretonnian institution. Essentially Emilion is a human version
of the Elven Liadriel, though this would certainly not be
admitted by Bretonnians. The origins of the cult are uncertain,
but worship of Emilion is fairly localised, being found primarily
in the areas of Bordeleaux and Gascogne, though in other wine
producing regions of Bretonnia Emilion is also acknowledged.
Emilion is the spirit of the vine, and his worship is concerned
with all aspects of viniculture, from growing the grapes to
making and selling the wine, and finally to drinking it. There
are innumerable cultic rituals passed down in families that are
followed superstitiously in the vineyards, and which are said to
guarantee the wine is of a consistently good quality. The cult's
major celebrations occur around the grape harvest in mid
summer, and tend to involve much drinking, often leading to
decadent parties. The cult's only real stricture is the drinking of
wine with each meal, though the god encourages a general
bonhomie and appreciation of the finer things in life in his
worshippers. In areas where the cult is strong it tends to
replace the worship of Taal (and to a certain extent Affairiche,
though the god of trade is not as significant in the vineyards in
any case), and the few clerics of Emilion are often counted as
"really" being clerics of Taal. They certainly treat the Cardinal
of Taal as "their Cardinal", and tend to share many of the larger
cult's concerns. The cult wields considerable power in the
Bordeleaux region and at the Gascogne regional parliament

Le Bourgon
 Le Bourgon is generally seen as a bit of a backwater.
Nestled between the Grey Mountains, Massif Orcal, and the
Loren Forest, few have any reason to stray far from the
Grismerie Valley. The province's proximity to wilderness areas
and areas of orc dominance, (not to mention the Axe Bite Pass
leading to the Empire) has found it being the site of many
battles, and some say you cannot travel more than a league in
Bourgon without walking over a battlefield. Le Bourgon is not
worth anything much itself, having few great resources of any
significance, but for centuries orc tribes have had to travel
through it to reach the rich pickings of Breton.
Centuries of warfare, with little to show for it, have
shaped the character of Bourgon. The lords of Bourgon tend to
be grim, taciturn, conservative, and brooding on long-forgotten
rivalries and stains on the family honour. Where the
conservatism of L'Armorique comes across as a quixotic
attachment to the values of the past, the conservatism of Le
Bourgon is a dusty, dry thing, a reluctance to try anything new
born of a deep pessimism about the future. The peasants are
similarly affected, being for the most part suspicious of
strangers, and set in their ways.

Stereotypes: "The Bourgouese? They're like someone locked in

a cellar for 100 years, wearing clothes your granddad wore,
always worrying about things no-one even remembers any
more."
Major noble families : Lefevre
Main towns : Parravon, Jouinard

Le Lyonnais
Le Lyonnais is a place of glittering spectacle and
grinding oppression. Ruled with an iron fist by the powerful De
Semblancy clan for centuries, the province has been shaped to
further their ambitions.
 Lyonnais is famous for its great festivals and
tournaments, for the victories of its soldiers, for the exquisite
artistry of its craftsmen. It is infamous for the costliness of
these pursuits on its people. The serfs of Lyonnais are often
worked to death. The gulf between noble and peasant is wider
in Lyonnais that perhaps anywhere else in Bretonnia.
The bourgeoisie here are few and little respected, those
few who rise to prominence as craftsmen or merchants do so
only by showing unquestioning loyalty to the De Semblancy.
The location of Lyonnais, close to the Tilean border, has
meant that the culture and politics of the Southern Old World
has considerable influence here. The fashions of Lyonnais are
frequently influenced by Tilea, and the Ducs of Lyonnais are
often significant players in the politics and warfare of Estalia,
Tilea, and the Border Princes, where their interests can at
times conflict with those of the King.

Stereotypes: "The Lyonnaise? The nobles have the pride of a

lion and the viciousness of a snake. Never insult one if you
value your life. As for the peasants, well, if you just stamp too
loudly near them they flinch..."
Major noble families : De Semblancy
Main towns : Quenelles, Perrache, Montluc, Chimay,
Merceaux-Descloux

La Navarre
If Lyonnais is a highly independent province of
Bretonnia, its neighbour, La Navarre, often seems like it is
another country altogether. Largely this is a matter of culture
and history, but race and geography also play their part. The
Navarrese look distinctly different from Bretonnians, with jet
black hair and often swarthier complexions. La Navarre itself is
also different from the rest of the Kingdom; there are few of the
green meadows and lazy rivers that characterise the rest of the
realm. Instead, Navarre is a sparse, hilly province, getting
increasingly wilder as it reaches the foothills of the Irranas.
 La Navarre was, in fact, not part of Gilles le Breton's
realm, and was added to the Kingdom of Bretonnia almost
three centuries later through dynastic alliance. Over a
millennia later, although there is no real question of secession,
Navarrese and Bretonnians still tend to regard each other as
foreigners. This tendency is increased by the fact that the
Navarrese have their own language, Languedoc, which is
distantly related to Estalian, though most do speak Bretonnian.
The Navarrese have a strong sense of identity and pride in their
land, which they have defended many times against the
Estalians (for whom they have an abiding hatred). Not
withstanding this, as most Bretonnians take pleasure in
pointing out, the Navarrese are remarkably similar to the
Estalians in culture, temperament, and appearance. The
culture of the Southern Old World is omnipresent here, with
devotion to the Southern cults fiercely devout especially to Ste-
Leonidas, the Myrmidian patron saint of Navarre. There are
few followers of the Northern pantheon. The cult of the Lady is
notable by its absence from these lands. The Navarrese are a
passionate people, swift to friendship or enmity; generous,
hospitable and loyal to family and friends, but merciless to
enemies, and capable of nurturing vendettas for generations.

Stereotypes: The Navarrese? Don't trust them. If a Navarrese

acts friendly, you can be sure it's only because he's going to
rob you blind when your guard is down. Half of them are
thieves and the other half are worse.
Major noble families : Capucinet
Towns : Brionne, Blaye-Leonine, St-Jacques, Luz
Navarre lies entirely to the south of the river Brienne. except
for the Poitain region around Brionne, which lies to the north
or the river.
III. Noblesse & Government
III.1. Oisillon

Home to King Charles III de la Tête d'Or and his court,

the somptuous palace of Oisillon situated 30 leagues to the
north-west of Guisoreux is the heart of the corrupt Kingdom.
Most of the important decisions are taken here before being
passed along to the provinces and central government in
Guisoreux.
There are rooms almost beyond count within the main
complex, ranging from apartments and ball rooms decked out
by the very best artists and craftsmen the Old World has to
offer, down to the drear and functional servants quarters.
Dazzling parties and other extravagant entertainments taking
place on a daily basis ensure the notion of Bretonnian grandeur
is not lost on the many ambassadors and guests who visit the
palace.

The Great & The Good: Leading Factions of Bretonnia

Here, far from the glitz and glamour of the Oisillon
Palace, it is easy for us to forget - or in some cases even know -
who controls our lives and our kingdom. Few citizens can fail
to recognise the illustrious name of our monarch, King
Charles III de la Tête d'Or. But who has the ear of the King?
Which lords and ministers decide on his policies and direct the
state? It is time, citizens, for an appraisal of the situation of the
great factions at the Oisillon Palace; of the men and women
who lead our beloved kingdom.
 First and most powerful of all is the Chief Minister of
His Royal Highness the King: Cardinal Henri Armagnac
Dumourieux. The Cardinal is amongst the kindest of the big
players at the Oisillon Palace; as a good cleric of Shallya, he has
regular distributions of wine, bread and pamphlets made from
the Chapelle de St Ortaire, all from his own pocket. Cynics may
have something to say about his motives, but cynics' heads roll
from the guillotine every day… The Cardinal and his faction of
favour-hunters and dependants are in the ascendance just now;
the King entrusts his most important business to the Cardinal,
who virtually runs the kingdom for much of the time.
Not to be outdone is the Duc de Lyonnais, François de
Semblancy. Old fashioned to say the least, the Duc is master of
the most conservative faction in the land. That is not to say it is
any weaker; on the contrary, its love of tradition and proper
noble rights makes them as strong-willed and proud as anyone.
The Duc and his many companions have a centuries old
reputation to uphold, and they don't like upstarts challenging
their dominance at all. To our benefit, De Semblancy and the
Cardinal, at loggerheads in the court, vie equally for the hearts
and minds of the good citizens of Guisoreux; the Duc's agents,
in the light of Dumourieux's distribution of food, are arranging
a free festival for all-comers at the end of the month.
Although these two are the most important and
competitive forces in the Palace, with the most resources to
devote to courting our support, they are not without company.
Prominent in the Palace but unfortunately too tight with their
purse-strings to arouse this writer's excitement is the Granvelle
family. These nouveau-riches from l'Anguille have made a big
impact on the nation's finances and have a member on the
State Council…but they are yet to do anything to gain the
favour of the good people of Guisoreux. In this case the Duc de
Lyonnais' hatred of these sea salt-smelling northerners can be
fully justified.
 Also hailing from the chilly north are the Knights of the
Holy Blood. Only in the most venerable archives of the
university library can armour such as theirs be seen! Though
too pressed for cash to be very generous, they manage to put on
a good joust every now and again. The old and older sets from
l'Anguille - the recently reinvigorated Loiseau and the
reactionary De Cabourg - have yet to make their mark on
Guisoreux or, for that matter, on the court itself.
The real fun-lovers in the Palace must be the
southerners. Hubert de la Motte, a clever and charming young
man from Bordeleaux, has won over the citizens of Guisoreux
with the wine of his home city, which he sometimes gives out in
impressive quantities (may all the gods bless him). Just as
popular with the ladies at court is Alphonse Capucinet, all the
way from Navarre. He may have an odd accent and a strange
taste in coiffeurs, but for his generous donations to the temples
and chapels of our fair city no-one can give censure.
This is the situation as it stands, or at least as an
outsider can best discern it; intrigue and backstabbing alter the
balance of power every day. The Palace is filled with rich and
ambitious gentry dying for the king's attention - and the
intelligent ones realise that one of the best ways to political
power and to King Charles's heart is through the hundred
thousand screams of Guisoreux.
I, Xavier Rousseau, shall keep the fair folk of Guisoreux
informed of future developments.
- Xavier Rousseau, the Guisoreux Gazette –

The Lords & Ladies Of Bretonnia

 No other land is as inundated with aristocrats as our fair
Bretonnia. Their presence can be felt even here in Guisoreux;
who has not seen their gilded carriages and sedan chairs pass
through the streets, a path cleared by a mixture of awe, fear
and bodyguards? Outside the city, it is they who control the
lives of the people. Here, in the blessed, beautiful city of
Guisoreux, their influence is, fortunately, not so directly felt;
we citizens, with our exemptions won over the centuries, have
earned the right to look on and accept the occasional favours -
and sometimes the furies - of our ancestral elite.
At the head of the whole system there lies the greatest
lord of them all: King Charles III de la Tête d'Or. Even in our
city, his word is life and death; just as it is - or at least should
be - for everyone in the kingdom, duke or serf.
Below him in the pecking order come the highest
echelons of the aristocracy. The De Semblancy, the Capucinet,
the Dumourieux, the Amboise family, the Granvelle family, and
a few other well-known names; the ones that lie closest to the
King and, by accident of birth or by 'fortuitous' acquisition,
hold onto the largest tracts of land. Each of these leading
factional heads sits on top of a whole mass of supporters,
dependants and companions, collectively known as a
'clientage', with their leader as 'patron'; the members of each
clientage go to make up the aristocracy of Bretonnia, all of the
comtes, viscomtes, ducs and barons. Just as these 'clients'
expect their leader to dangle baubles in front of them every so
often (such as odd bits of land, a good word when looking for a
position or an advantageous marriage), so the big players
demand the loyalty and support of their underlings - from time
to time they demand their wealth and even their lives, too.
And, whatever the cost, woe to he who defies his lord.
 Some of these factions are more cohesive than others;
the Duc de Lyonnais, François de Semblancy, for example,
rules his large cadre of lesser nobles with an iron fist - just as
his ancestors have done with these lesser nobles' ancestors for
hundreds of years. Cardinal Dumourieux, however, cannot
claim the same benefits of lineage as De Semblancy; he has
welded his large but ramshackle faction together over the last
few years, so that it now matches even De Semblancy's
following in size and prestige. Although he must be given credit
for this achievement (no easy feat considering the somewhat
fickle attitude possessed by many of our gentle folk), this writer
can only wonder how much longer the whole house of cards
can stay standing, especially in the face of De Semblancy's
constant intrigue. Much of this actually takes place in our own
city, safely removed from the delicate environment of the
Oisillon Palace.
Outside a few favoured towns and cities which, like
Guisoreux, have gained the freedom to decide their own future,
just about everyone in the Kingdom lie directly or indirectly
under the control of one of these major factions. Down through
the lesser nobility and the local gentry, their demands and
troubles reach all the way to the peasants toiling in the fields;
onto them falls the ultimate responsibility of paying for the
political games and luxurious lifestyles of our aristocrats.
Virtually everybody with an ounce of power or an acre of
land can count himself somewhere in the great ladder of clients
and patrons that extends up to the major factions and,
eventually, to the King himself. Is this good for the nation? Is it
good that a pampered dandy or scheming machiavel can
control the destiny of so many from the marbled halls of the
Oisillon Palace? Every day complaints and mutilated fugitives
come into the city from the provinces, visible proof of the
injustice wrought on Bretonnia by its leaders. Perhaps it is only
the armed troops or the distributions of food and drink that
keep the whole city from boiling over in indignation; the rest of
the land is too shackled by the gentry to react.
 But it is not for us to judge. However, seeing the
debauchery and cruelty of so many nobles and the inebriated
state our so-called gentry get into when they abandon their
comfortable apartments in the Oisillon Palace or come up from
the provinces, I count myself lucky to be able to take a step
back and not imagine the fate of myself, Xavier Rousseau, and
of my fellow citizens in their hands.
- Xavier Rousseau, the Guisoreux Gazette -

III.2. Summary of Leading Personalities of

Bretonnia

Charles Blois, Charles III de la Tête d'Or, King of

Bretonnia, age:27
Pulcrezzia Colonna, daughter of the Duke of Remas in
Tilea, 2nd Wife of Charles III, Queen of Bretonnia, age:16

Government Members (The State Council)

* Prime Minister : Cardinal of Shallya, Henri Armagnac
Dumourieux (Dumourieux Faction), age:48
* Minister of Finance : Pierre Granvelle, son of Bernard
Granvelle, Comte de Perrac (Granvelle Faction), age:29
* Minister of the Army and the Navy : young Louis Villeroi,
Charles III's best friend (Blois Faction), age:21
* Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs : Hubert de la Motte,
Marquis de Frejus, the King's cousin (Amboise faction), age:30
* Secretary of State at Dispatches : Nicholas Fouquet, Comte
de Sarlat (De Semblancy faction), age:38

Noble Factions at court

 The King's court at the great Oisillon Palace is a huge and
diverse mix of nobles and favour-seekers assembled from
across the kingdom and beyond. To try and help make some
sense of the complex situation and summarise the information
above, here is a brief list of the factions to be found at the court
in order of size and influence.

THE ROYAL FACTION:

The King's own clients and extended relatives; a very
large faction who openly interfere and get dragged into the
machinations of other groups, with little group dynamic of
their own and several leaders with conflicting interests. Few if
any would, however, desert the King's patronage.

THE CARDINAL'S FACTION:

The King's Prime Minister, his friends and his
dependants; many are attracted to the Cardinal by his current
level of influence, and were this to be diminished so would his
faction decline in numbers. The Cardinal is generally opposed
to the De Semblancy, and anyone else who gets too big for their
boots can expect him to oppose them.

THE DE SEMBLANCY FAMILY:

François de Semblancy, Duc de Lyonnais and Marshal of
Bretonnia, together with his own clients and relatives,
including his wife, Annette, sister to King Charles; and
Nicholas Fouquet, Comte de Sarlat and Secretary of State at
Despatches. They are bitterly opposed to the Cardinal,
'noblesse de robe' and the Capucinet family; in general they are
arch-conservatives who distrust any new measure that could
compromise their position.

THE GRANVELLE FAMILY:

 Led at court by Pierre Granvelle, Minister of Finance
and son of Bernard Granvelle, Comte de Perrac (who is based
in l’Anguille); supported by his brothers and clients, most of
whom are comparatively new into the aristocracy and politics.
They have a good working relationship with the Cardinal and
the King, but encounter varying levels of hostility from other,
more established nobles, in particular the De Semblancy. The
Granvelle are open rivals with the Loiseau family, and the De
Cabourg family and the Knights of the Holy Blood detest them.

THE AMBOISE FAMILY:

Dynamically led at court by Hubert de la Motte, Marquis
de Frejus, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and the King's
cousin; also many nobles from Gascogne. The official head of
the family is Jules Blois, Duc de Gascogne and uncle to Charles
III; he is not active in politics and remains in Bordeleaux with
his wife Blanche. The Amboise faction get on fairly well with all
the other factions and have many allies in the Blois family
thanks to Hubert's royal blood.

THE CAPUCINET FAMILY:

As the family head, the Duc of Navarre, is reluctant to
leave his own lands, the faction at court is led by his brother
Arnaud-Alphonse Capucinet, who is accompanied by a number
of fellow Navarrese aristocrats; they bring an unsavoury
reputation and an ancestral feud with the De Semblancy to the
Oisillon Palace. Other factions are still trying to determine
exactly what the Capucinet want at court and if the Duc of
Navarre's wishes are compatible with their own.
The Religious Faction
Not really a faction in itself; comprises all the great
clerics in the land, who are obliged by tradition to sit together
when the King is present. At varying times all seven Cardinals
(of the cults of Shallya, Myrmidia, Verena, Taal, Morr, Manann
and Ulric) and the kingdom's Archeveques and Eveques
(archbishops and bishops) attend. Nearly all who regularly
come to court are affiliated with one of the other factions,
whose interests they support. Most of the Cardinals are
involved with one of the courtly factions, and many have blood
ties with the nobility.

Below are listed the seven Cardinals, where they are

based and the factions they support:
* Cardinal of Shallya, Henri Armagnac Dumourieux
(Couronne) - DUMOURIEUX FACTION
* Cardinal of Myrmidia, Claude de Vendome "Le gros"
(Quenelles) - DE SEMBLANCY FAMILY
* Cardinal of Verena, Gibaud De Rennes (Guisoreux) -
BLOIS FAMILY
* Cardinal of Morr, Cicere Marsallas (Guisoreux) - BLOIS
FAMILY (but only by instinct; generally stays out of politics)
* Cardinal of Taal, Quentin Eurtre (Parravon) -
DUMOURIEUX FACTION (again, rarely attends court and
normally not concerned with government)
* Cardinal of Manann, Toine Rohan-Rochefort
(Bordeleaux) - AMBOISE FAMILY
* Cardinal of Ulric, Alf-André de Negrepelisse
(l'Anguille) - KNIGHTS OF THE HOLY BLOOD/DE
CABOURG FAMILY
III.3. The State Council (GM only)
The Workings of the Council
One of the most prestigious and influential bodies in the
kingdom is the King's State Council. The most basic duty of the
council is to advise the King on how to govern the kingdom, but
he retains overall power and can veto any decision taken. In
practice, he usually delegates responsibility for various duties
to members of the council, who take care of the matter on the
King's behalf. There are many possibilities for political
advancement for those on the council, which is filled with a mix
of the King's favourites, great nobles and a few genuinely
effective administrators.
 Technically, the King is able to invite anyone at all to the
meetings, but the only ones in regular attendance are the
Ministers. They are the individuals in charge of the
departments involved in running the kingdom, such as finance,
the military and foreign affairs. In the past, many important
nobles have also attended the council simply because of their
rank and position at court (Charles II de la Dure, for instance,
sometimes simply called out that the council was in session as
he sat in the midst of a palace garden party), but thanks largely
to the ministrations of Cardinal Dumourieux numbers are kept
strictly limited; indeed, unless the King is adamant he can
usually dissuade him from inviting anyone except the regular
Ministers, who are obliged to attend. He is fully aware that
letting many more individuals onto the council could
compromise his own position of power. Instead, he prefers to
let the various factions either work through the councillors,
allowing him to keep tabs on affairs, or to try and get the King's
ear when he is outside the council chamber. Since he is not
keen on discussing 'dull' matters of money, government and
appointments when not at the council, it is very hard for other
nobles to get him to listen to their wishes. All the court is aware
of this problem, and know full well that Cardinal Dumourieux
is the cause. Not surprisingly, there are a great many
individuals at court with serious grudges against Dumourieux,
though none have so far dared try to forge a serious plot or
alliance to lessen his powers.
The Cardinal has many spies in and around the Oisillon
Palace, anxiously watching for any conspiracy and ready to
take any steps to prevent a challenge to his pre-eminence. All
other Ministers, though, are deeply involved with the
patronage networks and factions at court.

The State Council Ministers

The Prime Minister: Cardinal Dumourieux
Normally, there is no Prime Minister, and the King
either takes more responsibilities himself or delegates them
more evenly. Under Charles III, however, Cardinal
Dumourieux has risen to command far greater powers than any
other individual in the land. Quite simply, it is he who runs the
kingdom on Charles's behalf, handing out tasks and
responsibilities to royal agents and Ministers. Many of the
most important tasks he takes upon himself, and he spends
long hours poring over ledgers and reports. Despite the
immense workload placed on the Cardinal, he apparently has
boundless energy, and it is said that he does not sleep but
simply says a short prayer to Shallya. He is a firm ruler, with a
prodigious intellect and the ability to work any situation to his
advantage. Sometimes this precludes taking the best course of
action for Bretonnia. In practice it is he who chairs State
Council meetings, standing in the King's stead whilst he is
hunting, sleeping or engaged in some other graceful pursuit.
Even when Charles is there, those who are sharp eyed notice
him peer over at the Cardinal before answering. Power of this
magnitude is a dangerous thing, and in gaining and keeping his
position Dumourieux has made many enemies, not least the
powerful De Semblancy clan. A major part of the Cardinal's
time is spent in keeping the De Semblancy and other political
enemies at bay; a task which gets harder every day.

Minister of Finance: Pierre Granvelle

 The current Minister of Finance is Pierre Granvelle,
second son of Bernard Granvelle, former governor of l'Anguille
and head of a powerful noble faction. The position of his son on
the council owes much to the extent of the Granvelle family's
new-found influence; but even more important to the
Granvelle's status is their proven ability as administrators,
clerks and businessmen. Pierre is no exception; indeed, he is
widely said to possess a magical affinity for numbers, so great
is his arithmetic ability. He is able to accomplish in a matter of
seconds calculations that even learned men need hours to
complete, and he never makes mistakes; this is, for him, a
serious point of honour. Coupled with this uncanny skill is a
gift for management and accountancy, which has proved
extremely useful given the somewhat chaotic state of
Bretonnian finances. Taxes, dues, exemptions and pensions
have accumulated over the centuries, so that today the system
is positively byzantine in complexity. Even the financial
wizardry of Pierre Granvelle is barely enough to maintain
solvency, and any serious expenditure - such as on a major war
- would soon bring the whole system crashing down. Pierre is
probably the busiest man at the Oisillon Palace, and can spare
but little time to parade the ballrooms and galleries of the great
palace; most of his waking hours are spent shut in a small room
with a candle and a quill. Relations with the other council
members are good, especially with Cardinal Dumourieux, who
values Pierre's skills very highly; in fact, he is one of the few
individuals whom the Cardinal is prepared to trust, at least on
matters of finance. Consequently, so long as he is able to give to
the King and the Cardinal what they want to fulfil their various
designs, Pierre is left to his own devices. There is much idle
speculation amongst the other nobles at court as to what he
does in his valuable spare time, and Pierre Granvelle is the butt
of several unkind jokes devised by his family's enemies.

Minister of the Army and the Navy: Louis Villeroi

 In the past, this post has been normally occupied by the
Marshal of Bretonnia, who after the King commands all the
armed forces of the nation. Thanks largely to the machinations
of Cardinal Dumourieux, however, the present Marshal
(François de Semblancy, the Cardinal's arch enemy) does not
hold a place on the State Council. The last Marshal, François'
father Chlodion de Semblancy, was Minister of the Army and
the Navy, but although his son was appointed Marshal after his
death, Charles II de la Dure instead elected to appoint an
apparently unknown minor noble, Baron Henri Merienne. It
was widely rumoured that the old King was somehow indebted
to Merienne for some incident in early manhood; according to
some reports the two were educated together, and a few speak
of a horrible secret, the truth of which Merienne alone knew.
Whatever the case may have been, Merienne died in 2511 IC,
several years after Charles II; before his death the old King
must have spoken with his son so that the Baron's position was
not challenged. After Merienne's death, Charles III is said to
have wept in joy, and then to have ordered the Baron's
chambers entirely turned over and the contents burned
without regard. None have explained the reasons for this
conduct.
 In Merienne's stead Charles III, at the suggestion of
Cardinal Dumourieux, selected his best friend, Louis Villeroi,
then aged 17. This was a shocking move, and many observers
then and since have muttered that the move marked the end of
all dignity and respect in the State Council and in the country
as a whole. Not least amongst those angered at the change was
François de Semblancy; it is said that two servants were killed
before his rage died down. His reaction was not totally
unjustified; Villeroi is, although famously handsome, not very
bright at all and is committed to ladies and courtly life rather
than military affairs. He is a dreamy, rather whimsical young
man given to flowing cuffs and sentimental poetry. Villeroi's
origins, too, are somewhat shrouded in mystery; none can
actually pinpoint the time he came to court before being
appointed to the State Council and winning the adoring eye of
King Charles. In fact, a generally hazy, ethereal quality seems
to follow him everywhere, leaving all he speaks to faintly
bemused.
His apparent naivety and lack of decisive action suit
Cardinal Dumourieux very well; there is one less politically
interested individual close to the King to worry about, the
influence of the De Semblancy is decidedly limited and the
army is kept firmly under control.

Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs: Hubert de la

Motte
 Because this position is so dependent upon impressing
visiting dignitaries, Cardinal Dumourieux and the King support
the Marquis de Frejus as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
Hubert de la Motte, head of the Amboise and cousin to the
King is very effective in this role, and all visitors to the Oisillon
Palace have gone away with very clear memories of the
splendour of the King. He was appointed by Gontrand, Duc de
Gascogne, during his regency. Certainly his elevation owes
something to nepotism (Gontrand was Hubert's father; when
first chosen as Secretary in 2507 IC, Hubert was just 21), but to
everyone's surprise the young southerner has proved highly
suited to the position.
 Much more of Bretonnia's international standing is built
on the good organisational abilities of Hubert de la Motte than
people know; thanks to him, Charles III de la Tête d'Or enjoys
a reputation as the most magnificent monarch in the Old
World. On the other hand, some have taken this the wrong
way, and see the Bretonnian nobility as decadent and wasteful.
Whether or not this is true is not Hubert's concern; he will
continue to put on the best organised and most exciting parties
for as long as he occupies this ministry. Yet his responsibilities
do not end with diplomatic occasions; he is also charged with
incoming and outgoing communications with foreign rulers. In
this he displays far greater subtlety; he has a firm grasp both of
Classical and of Bretonnian, as well as an advanced knowledge
of Tilean, Estalian and Reikspiel; he has even learned a little
Elven speech in his studies. If there is a danger attached to
Hubert, it is perhaps that he is too good at what he does, and
that the complex and almost illusionary base on which
Bretonnia's international reputation stands (Hubert has been
rather 'optimistic' in his descriptions of Bretonnian armies,
fortresses and wealth) could be shattered through one or two
false moves. Equally, Hubert is quick to form dislikes and
judgements which, though usually based on piercing and
accurate observations (sometimes a little too accurate), can
arouse resentment amongst those slighted. To many, he comes
across as merely arrogant and dissolute; he is both, but the
danger comes in forgetting that he is also well-connected,
ruthless and very clever, with many talents beyond what meets
the eye.

Secretary of State at Dispatches: Nicholas Fouquet

 At present this post is held by Nicholas Fouquet, Comte
de Sarlat. He was appointed in the last year of Charles II's
reign, reportedly as a compromise with François de Semblancy;
the Duc de Lyonnais, Marshal of Bretonnia, did not occupy the
Ministry of the Army and the Navy during the time of Henri
Merienne's ascendancy, but both the Duc and the King were
convinced the powerful and distinguished family ought to have
some power on the State Council. On the other hand, François
did not feel he could stoop to occupying any post himself other
than that of Minister of the Army and the Navy; consequently,
the King tacitly accepted the Duc's choice of Nicholas Fouquet,
one of his clients and a cousin of the De Semblancy.
 Charles III respected his father's selection, and has so
far done nothing to challenge the position of Fouquet. François
de Semblancy was, however, upset when the post he was
hoping to gain - Minister of the Army and Navy - was taken by
Louis Villeroi, forcing him to leave the tiresome Fouquet in
place as his only means of gaining power on the State Council.
The Minister himself is a famously voluble personality, with a
loud voice, swaggering gait and a penchant for shouting and
beating peasants. He excels at hunting and gaming, and has
proven on a number of occasions that he can stomach a great
deal of alcohol before keeling over. The Duc de Lyonnais did
not actually know Fouquet personally when he was appointed
to the post; he wanted someone close and, he hoped, easily led.
Fouquet is not exactly what he wanted. It is not that he takes
no interest in correspondence coming in to the Palace; he just
takes much more interest in food, drink and fun, leaving little
time for real work. François de Semblancy often finds himself
at his wits' end trying to get Fouquet to do what he is told and
to bring up some urgent point on the State Council. Many
times he has considered removing Fouquet from the council,
but he knows that, first, Cardinal Dumourieux would block any
such move as he enjoys having the fairly unintellectual Fouquet
on the Council; he, his agents and Pierre Granvelle handle most
of the important royal correspondence, limiting de Semblancy's
influence. François also recognises that, should he get Fouquet
off the council, he would find getting another of his clients onto
the council almost impossible due to the Cardinal's presence.
Thus, the exasperated and often raging de Semblancy
frequently finds himself engaged in blazing rows with Fouquet
in an attempt to spur him into some sort of useful activity.
III.4. The Blois Family

This is the family name of Charles III de la Tête D'Or,

and his been borne by kings of Bretonnia for over three
hundred years now, since the last ruling dynasty, the Merienne,
died out in the year 2201 IC with the death of King Henri V
l'Amoureux. The Blois family is extremely wealthy, drawing its
income from estates across the land (concentrated in Breton)
and from the several kinds of taxation currently imposed on
the populace. They are notoriously prone to infighting and
intrigue; Charles III's father, Charles II de la Dure, was faced
with a revolt by his own brother the Duc de Gascogne in the
first years of his reign, though the Duc was later pardoned.

Charles III de la Tête d'Or

 Charles III de la Tête d'Or is, as any of his subjects
would readily assert, undoubtedly the best, most munificent
King ever to sit on the throne of Bretonnia. Privately, many of
the nobles have their doubts. Charles has inherited a kingdom
which, though generally rich, populous and tightly controlled,
is riddled with corruption and tension at just about every level.
His father's military adventures in Estalia, Tilea and against
the Empire have not helped matters, and it is expected that a
major campaign will be launched sooner or later, if only
because Charles III feels the need for action and personal glory.
Charles can be extremely energetic when the mood takes him,
and at times even displays a considerable level of competence
and interest in matters ranging from war to religion and
finance. However, these assiduous spells are rare; Charles is,
most of the time, passive and far more taken with simple and
sensuous pleasures such as good food, hunting and (it is said)
amorous involvements with the prettier members of the palace
staff. Already, and much to his anger, he has begun to lose the
slim, boyish figure that used to win him so many admirers; yet
no-one would dare mention this fact to his face, and he is still
handsome in his own way and can be a very good
conversationalist. During his bouts of lethargy the King can
become rancorous if approached on official business, rashly
ordering severe punishments for those who incur his wrath by
calling his attention away from more important issues. Equally,
when he does decide that his kingdom calls, he is outraged
when those around him fail to recognise the magnitude and
dignity of his regal duties. These dramatic turnabouts are
utterly unpredictable; on some occasions, Charles ends up
tearfully apologising to someone for only a moment before
screaming to have their head cut off.
 As things stand, when Charles is in his more 'relaxed'
state, the kingdom suffers when, for weeks on end, government
is left to Cardinal Dumourieux and Charles's other favourites;
only to take a sudden upsurge when he emerges into a burst of
activity, often merely effacing the work his administration has
undertaken beforehand and leaving them with more problems
to cope with as he returns to his leisured lifestyle. On average,
Charles has about one or two frenetic days of activity a month.

Guillaume Blois, Comte de Castelnau

 King Charles has two younger brothers, Guillaume and
Tancred; Guillaume, the elder, is known as an especially
devious and cunning individual, famed for a scar on the right
hand side of his face that has forced him to wear a mask for his
whole life. Masked balls are consequently favourite events
amongst his supporters. Guillaume is also known as a 'thruster'
in hunting circles, and takes a great pleasure in the chase.
Privately, he admits to the kill being the greatest thrill of his
life; nothing, claims Guillaume, pleases him more than to
plunge his knife into a still beating heart and feel the warm
blood course over his hands. No love is lost between Guillaume
and King Charles; the two boys used to compete violently for
their father's attentions, and they now rarely meet or
communicate. As a precaution against political intrigue at
court, Charles has entrusted Guillaume with the stewardship of
royal estates around Castelnau, where Guillaume holds his own
court as the Comte de Castelnau. Periodically mutterings are
heard at court to the effect that Guillaume is planning some
sort of attempt on the throne. This has become such a regular
occurrence that not even Cardinal Dumourieux, King Charles
or the royal guard take them very seriously. Guillaume is
ignorant of this realisation, and although he is regarded as
something of a comical failure by his brother's dandified court,
he does have genuine ambitions that simply fail to materialise
because of a lack of fortune and support. A good number of the
rumours concerning his royal ambitions are nearer to the truth
than their hearers would suspect, but Guillaume has always so
far failed at some early stage in the plot. But he will keep
trying…

Tancred Blois
 Tancred, who is currently just seventeen years old, has
shown great intelligence and, unusually for his family, a
genuine sense of piety and responsibility. Charles III has much
love for his youngest brother, and it is rumoured that he wishes
him to go into the church, where he will no longer be a threat to
the succession. Other whisperings, though, claim that Tancred
is secretly being taught by Guglielmo Andronico, a Tilean
master scholar attendant on the King and, it is said, a powerful
sorcerer. Tancred, too, has developed a love of old, worm-eaten
books that, to the less-than studious minds of the Bretonnian
nobility, is decidedly unhealthy. If this is true, King Charles
may find himself faced by something far more serious than
mere bluster and ambition from his youngest brother in the
years to come.
III.5. De Semblancy Family

The De Semblancy family is perhaps the most

distinguished military clan in Bretonnia. For over 1000 years
the soldiers of the family have served the Kings of Bretonnia
well, winning dozens of great battles and covering themselves
with glory. Four hundred years ago, after the De Semblancy
crushed an invasion from the Empire, a grateful King Louis IX
l'Aragne granted his victorious generals the title of Duc de
Lyonnais, together with large territories in that rich region of
Bretonnia. Since then it has been a stronghold of the
conservative De Semblancy and their many clients, who are
drawn only from the oldest families. They are a fiercely
traditional and proud lot, who look down on virtually everyone
else in the kingdom as inferiors and oppose almost any attempt
at change or modernisation.
 Perhaps the only exception to this attitude is in the
military; the De Semblancy have pioneered developments in
organisation, tactics and general standards of conduct, always
striving to stay at the forefront of sophistication and efficiency
so as to win the favour of the monarch by conquest. Their
reputation for harsh discipline and mercilessness is so far
unequalled; the peasants and soldiers of Lyonnais, which is
dominated by the faction, go in open fear and awe of their
masters. Many members of the De Semblancy family have been
Marshals of Bretonnia. François de Semblancy, is no exception;
he has served as Marshal now for fourteen years after
succeeding his father in the position and in that time has won
four substantial battles against the orcs in the name of the
King. His lack of a place on the State Council, especially given
his military credentials, is a source of enormous frustration and
frequent tantrums; François still hankers after the Ministry of
the Army and the Navy, but knows that with Cardinal
Dumourieux in power and Louis Villeroi alive there is not
much hope for him. The De Semblancy faction, however, is not
without a presence on the Council, though the Secretary of
State at Dispatches, Nicholas Fouquet, leaves a lot to be
desired.
The De Semblancy represent the largest single faction at
the Oisillon Palace, numbering almost a hundred aristocrats
and their retinues. The only group which comes even close to
them in terms of size is the bloated and insecure faction that
Cardinal Dumourieux has built up. The De Semblancy,
however, have centuries of tradition and favour amongst their
members to draw upon, and François uses his forceful
personality to exert rigid control over his large collection of
supporters. Cohesion, deference and loyalty - together with
arrogance, prejudice and self-confidence - come naturally to
the De Semblancy faction, and as they see ever more forces
attempting to challenge their dominant position they become
even more determined and entrenched in their age-old
mannerisms.
François de Semblancy
François is the fitting heir of his predecessors; he is a
tall, strong and very well muscled man, known for his blind
courage, raging temper and, in many cases, lack of forethought.
On the battlefield, these characteristics combine with a strange
ability to keep control over himself and his followers; some say
he lives in a permanent state of such rage and exertion that
battle presents no difference to him. He also has a great
command of tactics and strategy, with an uncanny sense of
timing that has been the death of countless enemy troops,
political adversaries and duelling opponents. Behind closed
doors, François pursues his love of extreme sensations in a
sordid pursuit of pleasure, in all its most 'interesting' forms.
Xavier Grouchy, an elderly and stonefaced priest of Morr, has
apparently abandoned most of his calling's usual scruples and
acts as a procurer for François and his companions in lusty
delights, bringing all manner of peasants girls (and boys),
unusual substances and devices to the De Semblancy's greatest
palace at Sept-Forges. Although word of what François gets up
to does occasionally do the rounds at the Oisillon Palace, his
forceful personality, violence and power prevent them from
being anything more than quickly forgotten mutterings.

The Tremaine
 A few of the De Semblancy's supporters are even more
secretive and old fashioned, and when not vociferously defying
their enemies at court spend most of their time within
apparently darkened, heavily-barred rooms. Principally
centring on those from the Tremaine estates - known as the site
of vast megalithic monuments dating back to long before the
founding of the kingdom - these nobles are too close to
François de Semblancy for comfort, and though he does not
espouse their mysterious activities, he does favour them
because of the almost uncanny good fortune their members
seem to enjoy. Their most prominent representative is Calixte
Tremaine, Vicomte de Quenelles; a very old friend of François
de Semblancy and his companion through fire, flood and
countless depraved adventures. Tremaine's tastes are even
more 'specialised' than those of François, running to torture,
mutilation and animals; he enjoys the nickname of 'l'Extreme',
although most believe this derives from his frequent
overindulgence in drink.

Claude de Vendome
Unconnected with these depraved goings on is Claude
de Vendome, Cardinal of Myrmidia, based in Quenelles. Like so
many other high-level clerics, he is of aristocratic stock, and
has a tendency to get involved in politics. Claude is known as
'Le Gros' for his enormous size, which is a result of the
celebrated pastry cuisine of Quenelles. Although most of his life
is taken up with eating and reading (often at the same time), he
is quietly astute and notices far more than he is given credit for.
The Cardinal, however, is also very lazy and suspicious,
greeting most happenings with a smile and a knowing grunt. As
with almost all De Semblancy faction members, he finds it hard
even to contemplate defecting.

Annette de Semblancy
 One of the main braking influences on François de
Semblancy, and perhaps the only force preventing open
feuding between the Dumourieux and the De Semblancy, is
François's wife, Annette, sister of Charles III. She is a beautiful
courtesan, who is able to exert a certain level of control over
her husband's violent temper; it is said that Annette is the only
person he can bear to be in a room with when he is in a bad
mood. However, she is not so clever as she thinks she is, and
François secretly intercepts her letters to King Charles, using
them to keep tabs on her activities and occasionally gaining
vital information on the King's current thoughts and plans.
There is very little trust or love between the two, but for the
sake of tradition and appearances (which both of them value
very highly) they maintain an air of contentment and wedded
bliss.

III.6. La Chambre Noire (GM only)

 King Charles III de la Tête d'Or, like his father and
grandfather before him, knows the value of an efficient secret
service, which can keep down the most dangerous political
enemies and plots against the crown. Very few, even amongst
the nobility, know anything of La Chambre Noire other than its
name and vague purpose; many suspect (quite rightly) that it is
based in the Oisillon Palace. In fact, La Chambre Noire is just
that: 'The Black Room'. It is found in the heart of the royal
palace, far from prying eyes, and has no windows or anything
else on the walls; moreover, to guard against the members of
the group who control the extremely delicate service from
knowing each other's true identity, meetings take place in
absolute darkness, with the members each entering from a
separate door and being guided to their seats by a chord. Only
the Master of La Chambre Noire knows the real names of all
the members - and his own identity is the most closely guarded
of all. These details, however, are almost unknown outside La
Chambre Noire itself; but its reach goes further and deeper
than even the King himself could guess. Much speculation goes
on amongst the aristocratic inhabitants of the Palace as to who
might be a part of La Chambre Noire, and rumours run
rampant, stirring the hearts of young heiresses. A few rash and
daring noble gentlemen, seeing this, have it put about that they
are actually members of La Chambre Noire themselves. Those
who make such claims soon learn their folly: a dagger with the
blade half snapped off is the first warning, a full dagger is the
second, and death is the third.…

III.7. The Modern Army of Bretonnia

The King's Musketeers
 Founded barely twenty years ago, the King's Musketeers
are amongst the Old World's youngest military orders.
However, courts and generals across the Old World are already
beginning to hear of this elite unit's legendary exploits (due in
large part to their inimitable combination of Bretonnian
boisterousness and penchant for swashbuckling actions).
The unit is dedicated to the protection of the King. All
members must be noble.

The Royal Dragoons

The Dragons were a Bretonnian order of chivalry that
existed at the time of the crusades. Facing disparition, they
later became a military unit open to commoners. Unswearingly
loyal and highly disciplined, the Dragoons are mostly
renowned for their brutality. They are the shock force which is
sent in when there is a peasant uprising, a revolt, heretics to
hunt, etc. The Dragoons have made a number of serious
blunders recently, killing off rebellious members of the high-
nobility for instance.
While the dragoons travel mounted, they typically fight
on foot. Leading officers are noble, but the rest of the Dragoons
are from common stock.

The Provincial Companies :

- the Bretonnian Guard, the provincial company of
Breton
o the largest provincial company
- the Lions of Lyonnais
o well trained and disciplined they are widely
considered as the most efficient provincial
company
- the Bears of Navarre
- the Boars of Flandres
- the Wolves of Armorique
o led by the De Cabourg, they comprise many
Ulricans of Norse ancestry
 - the Griffins of Gascogne
- the Hawks of Bourgon

A good amount of rivality exists between the different

provincial companies, which has much to do with the rivality
that exists between the noble families of the commanding
officers. Pay in the army is not regular as the Kingdoms
finances are in quasi-permanent state of turmoil. It is common
practice to disband armies during the winter time. These
unemployed often pennyless soldiers lead to many problems,
the least being that it is more difficult to start a new campaign
with freshly banded troops than with non disbanded ones.
The Royal Gunners (Les Artificiers Royaux)
The royal Manufacture in Couronne is where most of the
Bretonnians guns (firearms and cannons) are fabricated. It was
created in 2440 when an Imperial engineer Claus von Heinz
defected to Bretonnia. A number of Dwarf and renegade
Imperial engineers are employed here in addition to
Bretonnian artillerists. While Bretonnian cannons are still
considered less reliable on average than those coming from
Imperial foundries, the recently developed Bretonnian musket
is widely recognised as the best personal firearm in the Old
World. Gunpowder is produced in large quantities only in
Couronne, where it is under strict Royal control. Gunpowder
used outside the Royal Bretonnian Army is subject to heavy
taxation.

The Royal Navy (La Royale)

Before Charles II de la Dure decided to modernize the
navy, the Bretonnian fleet was composed mainly of century old
cumbersome hulks. A dozen sloops and brigantines and half as
many modern galleons, all armed with cannons, were
constructed at great expense. Given that the Bretonnians are
competent sailors, the Royal Navy should rightfully be feared.
The missions of the Navy are to protect the Bretonnian coasts
and ports, defend Royal interests (including the Bretonnian
overseas settlements) and hunt pirates. To complement the
Navy, Privateers have been used extensively against Bilbali.
The main military ports are L'Anguille where the major
part of the modern fleet is stationned and Rochefort, at the
southern border of Gascogne. The Admiral of the fleet is Pierre
Marouanec, who is based in L'Anguille. Officers in la Royale
are exclusively noble.
Since service in the Navy is notoriously hard,
Bretonnian conscriptors must often resort to unsavoury
techniques to recruit. Press-ganging is a common practice in
coastal areas of Bretonnia for instance.
Other Units & Mercs
Border Patrols, Coast Guards, City militias, Colonial
militias. Provincial militias (levied in times of troubles).
Foreign Mercenaries : Hardened Imperial lansquenets
essentially.
IV. Appendix – Living in Bretonnia
IV.1. The Cult of Saints in Bretonnia

Despite the increasing politization (some would say

corruption) of the Bretonnian clergy, the Bretonnian
population remains for the main part quite pious. This has
much to do with the widespread custom of revering Saints.
Saints are men and women who lived exemplary lives in the
service of one of the gods of the pantheon and who are revered
after their death for their piety. A Saint serves as an
intermediary between the faithful and the divinity making
Bretonnian religion much more personnal and closer to the
needs and aspirations of the people.
There are a great many Saints in Bretonnia, most of
them very local in nature (Saints have largely replaced minor
patronal divinity as encountered in the Empire). Most
Bretonnian temples and oratories are dedicated to one or more
Saints. The major ones usually possess Saintly relics (a
remaining part of the body or sometimes an important object
having belonged to the Saint) which are believed to help with
gaining contact with the Saint.
The process by which a Saint becomes officially
recognised is known as Canonisation. Because the political
interests of the cult and those of its main dignitaries often play
a major part here, there are official Saints whose sanctity is
dubious and non-officially recognised Saints “les Saints du
people” who are the subject of popular devotion. The confusion
around Saints is further increased by the fact that most Saints
are ancient and little is known about their true lives.
In terms of play, Saints are a mean of implicating
players more in the faith aspect of their characters. Moreover
the obscure nature and sometimes controversial nature of
Saints can be used as a plot element in Bretonnian scenarios
and campaigns.
 A list of the main Bretonnian Saints together with their
associated divinity and main region of worship is given here. A
complete description of these Saints and other more
controversial ones is available in Bretonnia-Sourcebook.
IV.2. The main Bretonnian Saints

St Sugre (Morr)
Soother of the passing away, protector against nightmares

St Vadnais (Morr, around Moussillon)

Patron of those who hunt the undead

St Margelon (Morr, Bourgon)

Protector against the undead

St Antoine (Verena)
Patron of witch-hunters

St Benehold (Verena)
Patron of the conservation of knowledge and of Verenan
Monasteries

St Antoine de la Peste (Shallya)

Patron of the ill, protector against épidemics

St Brenvard (Manann, Armorique)

Patron of navigators and explorers

Ste Léonidas (Myrmidia, Navarre)

The heroin, Protectoress of Navarre

St Leu (Ulric, Armorique)

Patron of the Bretonnian warriors devoted to Uric

St Gudule (Taal, Lyonnais)

Patron of forests and wild animals
IV.3. Wyrd Doings: Wizards in Bretonnia

'And are you, or are you not, a witch?' That was the
question that the leader of the mob - one of the dirty, poverty-
stricken-academic looking sorts that seems to spring out of
every rabble to air its woes - put to the unfortunate man
besieged in the middle of the Place de la Paix, accused of
witchcraft.
That man was Simonin Lamadon, graduate of the
Altdorf school of magic, highly educated and with more power
in his little finger than all the mob's fists could muster.
Someone who knows how to handle himself when in dire
straits. He smiled as he told the rioters where to turn for the
truth. He didn't need to speak a second time; the crowds faces
turned to each other, muttered and soon dispersed. 'Read,' he
said to the dusty student and his companions with admirable
composure, 'the Guisoreux Gazette.' Simonin Lamadon is also,
I forgot to say, a personal friend.
Monsieur Lamadon's recent plight highlights the
dangers that plague wizards in our great city, and indeed
throughout the kingdom of Bretonnia. He and others like him
invest years of effort and immense amounts of money in
learning the 'art' as they like to call it. Simonin, as he told me
during a meeting at the Eighth Heaven tavern, spent fully nine
years in attaining full proficiency at magic. It was only two
years ago, after the untimely death of Monsieur Jacques
Fretrier-Ballisse, that he received his 'Permis de Magique' or,
as I've heard it called in the alleys and highways of Guisoreux,
the Cursed Coin. Now Simonin Lamadon can proudly call
himself, together with the other twenty-four holders of the
'Cursed Coins', one of the King's Sorcerers: the best wizards in
Bretonnia, under the King's protection and required to give
him help and advice whenever summoned.
 I was lucky enough to actually hold, if only for a short
time, Simonin's small golden Permis de Magique. He keeps it
always about his neck, on a long silver chain. Silver, to
discourage the darker things that lurk in the dark beyond
dreams and occasionally challenge those who study the art.
The Permis was not an especially beautiful or dazzling
object; it was heavy, heavier even than gold ought to be. My
whole arm seemed to grow gradually more leaden the longer I
held it, and I could have sworn it took on a greater sheen as I
let go and the medallion swung back into Simonin's manicured
palm. Upon its surface was etched the royal arms, together
with an IX; this was the ninth of the twenty-five Permis de
Magique. So the story goes, these twenty-five were made from
the crown of the Duc de Brisolles, fabled magician-noble of the
13th century, who was defeated by St Marc in a contest of
supernatural skill.
 Regardless of the history surrounding the Cursed Coins,
they certainly carry their weight today. Anyone hindering their
wearers can expect the full weight of King Charles's power to
come crushing down on them. A magician armed with a Permis
can go anywhere and do - almost - anything, and expect to get
away with it; such is the power that these objects command.
There's an indefinable something about the small gold piece,
barely two inches in diameter, which seems to reach out to all
who see it. Wizards, so Simonin tells me, see it like a furnace in
the darkness. Naturally, there are responsibilities, too.
Sometimes quite onerous responsibilities. There is always at
least one wizard at the Oisillon Palace providing advice and
occasional entertainment for the King and his minions. Also,
thanks to their education and power to see far more than meets
the eye, wizards are regularly ordered to act as ambassadors or
plenipotentiaries of the royal government. Simonin himself
spent two months in Miragliano last autumn on the King's
orders, negotiating a new treaty over the shipment of wine
glasses to Bordeleaux. A fellow bearer of the Permis de
Magique, who will go unnamed for fear of sullying his peace-
loving name, was recently ordered to accompany an armed
expedition in the Grey Mountains, and in times past up to a
dozen wizards have joined the King and his armies on the
march into Estalia and the Empire. Even the King's Sorcerers
fear blades and cannonballs; being the best is not always easy…
or safe.
 But what of those who do not bear the Cursed Coins?
There are wizards all over Bretonnia, some honest, some
dishonest, and some just downright evil. The problem for the
rest of the people comes in telling them apart. It is all too
common for them to simplify the issue and cry 'witch!' at the
first hint of magic. Even the lords and ladies still fear black
magic, and see wizards as little more than a flashy and
expensive drawing-room entertainment. Progress is slow;
anyone who mutters, owns a broom or keeps a cat is liable to be
charged with witchcraft in some rural areas I've known. Those
who openly call themselves wizards can expect little more than
stern silence, curses and, if they tread on anyone's toes, the
stake.
Wizards in Bretonnia face an ambiguous present and an
uncertain future. On the one hand King Charles, his servants
and a rare few others see wizards for what they can be: a useful
part of society and government. That's why Simonin Lamadon
and the other twenty-four carry the Permis de Magique.
On the other hand, ancestral fear of witches and all
types of magic turns the public against them, uniting rich and
poor in ignorance and terror of that which they don't
understand. The law, too, is unkind to magicians. Summarising
all the reams of legal jargon and centuries of confused
legislation, one arrives at the following conclusion: magic is
allowed, witchcraft is not. Where the one ends and the other
begins is the big question.
- Xavier Rousseau, the Guisoreux Gazette -
IV.4. Magic over the Counter?

The 'Liber Ingens de Magicae Artibus Veris' ('The

Bumper Book of True Magic') sounds grand enough, and it
certainly looks the part: thick, spells written in Classical, bound
in red leather, big pentagram on the cover, smell like a musty
old loft (I would be curious to know how this is achieved in the
short time since the book was printed). Any aspiring wizard
would be proud of it, and would soon be able to do anything
from summon a daemon to seduce the girl of his dreams.
Looking about the streets of Guisoreux, it seems that many
have already seized the opportunity promised on the inside
cover by the book's publisher to 'learn the secrets of the
magical arts' and 'know the truth behind the tapestry of visible
reality'.
Simonin Lamadon, a more experienced wizard
acquaintance, is not so impressed. He lifts up the hefty tome
with a sigh, and rolls his eyes. This is not the first copy he's
seen.
After I was sent my copy by a friendly bookseller, I asked
him to take a look. According to Simonin, the only magical feat
that anyone could possibly link to the 'Liber Ingens de Magicae
Artibus Veris' is managing to hawk it for 35 Francs, sometimes
more. In spite of the impressive turns of phrase - 'O lord of the
heavens and of the infernal realms, attend to my plea' - and
suitably eldritch diagrams (goats' heads, stars and naked
bodies - mostly, predictably enough, female - feature highly),
Simonin is convinced that no supernatural effect whatsoever
could result from any amount of the chanting and candle-
burning prescribed by this book. And let it be remembered that
Simonin Lamadon is one of the King's Sorcerer's, armed with a
Permis de Magique; there can't be many in Bretonnia who
know more about magic than him. I'll take his word that the
book is worthless.
 Unfortunately, it seems that a great many people, mostly
ambitious, otherwise intelligent young men and women, have
been taken in by the offers of power and adventure, and have
eagerly parted with their fourteen Écus. Cartloads of the work
must have arrived in the city, and I've heard that pirated
editions are already being secretly produced. Details of the
original's producer, however, remain scanty. All the
information contained in the 'Liber Ingens' itself is the name of
the printer's city - Parravon - and his initials, B.R.
Parravon is, after Guisoreux, perhaps the second-
greatest printing centre in the Old World. Dozens of printers
work there, churning out vast runs of texts on all manner of
subjects. Most of these are exported, either through the nearby
Axe Bite Pass into the Empire, or else back down the Grismerie
to Guisoreux and the rest of Bretonnia. The city's comparative
freedom from prohibitive laws gives printers more liberty than
they find elsewhere, and they have carved themselves a
lucrative niche in the economy of the Old World. Yet none of
my contacts in the city know any printer with the initials B.R.
Nor can they tell me anything more about the origins of the
'Liber Ingens' save that it is being sent off in vast quantities
both in caravans across the mountains and in barges up the
river into rest of the kingdom.
Indeed, it is in connection with the 'Liber Ingens' that
Simonin Lamadon has recently been asked by His Majesty King
Charles III to go on a diplomatic mission to Altdorf - just one of
the duties that comes from bearing one of the Cursed Coins.
Complaints have been emerging from the highest levels of the
Imperial government; apparently the ambitious youngsters of
Altdorf, Nuln and Middenheim are as enthralled by the tome as
our own. The Imperial authorities, however, seem to be taking
it all very seriously; they see the influx of copies of the 'Liber
Ingens' as nothing short of a dangerous and subversive plot to
warp the bright young things of their greatest cities. Stern
letters have been sent, and (though Simonin is reluctant to
divulge too many details) further action has been threatened
unless something is done.
Our own leadership has wisely taken the advice of Simonin and
his fellow wizards, and is quite content to sit back and let the
book's purchasers learn their own mistake. Spending
35 Francs is quite enough punishment, they feel. Nevertheless,
although it has not yet spread as much in provincial towns, the
book may cause quite a stir when it does. How many peasants,
or small-town judges, for that matter, would be able to tell the
difference between a genuine grimoire and the pulp-magic
printed in the 'Liber Ingens'? Already the countryside is
gripped by panics about witches; what reaction the antics of
high-spirited wizards-in-waiting might provoke none can dare
guess.
- Xavier Rousseau, the Guisoreux Gazette –

IV.5. Bretonnian Money

1 Franc = 20 pistoles = 240 sous

The Bretonnian Franc has a value roughly equivalent to that of
an Imperial Crown.

Some high value Bretonnian gold coins are :

- Le Louis d'Or (worth 25 Francs, or 500/-)
- l’Écu (worth 2½ Francs , or 50/-)
Glossary
Le Dauphin : the designated
heir to the throne of Bretonnia
Un Cardinal : a member of
the holy-council, leader of one
the main official cults.
Monseigneur : designates a
noble or a high ranking cleric.
A royal governor : a function
given by the King to deserving
(or sadly enough not very
deserving) nobles. All the main
Bretonnian cities have a Royal
governor to administer them in
the King's name.
A League : the unit of distance
most commonly used in
Bretonnia, it is roughly
equivalent to 3 miles or 4
kilometers.
Nobility Titles :
- Roi/Reine =
King/Queen.
- Duc/Duchesse =
Duke/Duchess,
- Marquis/Marquise =
Marquis/Marchioness,
- Comte/Comtesse =
Count/Countess,
- Vicomte/Vicomtesse =
Viscount/Viscountess,
- Baron/Baronne =
Baron/Baroness
- Chevalier = Knight
Etiquette
- His Majesty the King
- His Royal Highness the
Prince
- His Eminence the
Cardinal
- His Excellency the
minister, the governor,
the ambassador, the
bishop
Bretonnian Words &
Expressions
- Monsieur or Messire /
Mr (Sir)
- Madame / Mme
(Madam)
- Mademoiselle (Miss,
young lady)
- Oui/Non (Yes/No)
- Place !
(Out of the way !)
- Hein ?, Quoi ? (What ?)
- Qu'est ce qu'il dit ?
(What is he saying ?)
- Je vous aime
(I love you)
- Sacrebleu !
(my goodness!)
- Vive le Roi !
(Long live the King !)
- En garde !!!
(On guard !!!)
- Pas de Quartier !
(No quarter)
- Montjoie ! (War cry)
IV.6. Bretonnian Calendar
Bretonnian Imperial
Meaning
Calendar Calendar
New Year
Jour des sorcières Hexenstag
Oo
I. Pluviôse, 32 Rain-tide I. Nachexen
II. Ventôse, 33 Wind-tide II. Jahrdrung
Spring
La St-Gudule Mitterfrühl
Equinox
III. Germinal,33 Plants-tide III. Pflügzeit
IV. Floréal, 33 Flowers-tide IV. Sigmarzeit
V. Prairial, 33 Meadows-tide V. Sommerzeit
Summer Solstice
La Ste-Léonidas Sonnstille
(Longest day)
VI. Messidor, 33 Harvest-tide VI. Vorgeheim
The Mysteries
Les mystères Geheimnistag
Oo
VII. Thermidor, 32 Heat-tide VII. Nachgeheim
VIII. Fructidor, 33 Fruit-tide VIII. Erntezeit
Automn
La St-Bénéhold Mitterherbst
Équinox
IX. Vendémiaire, 33 Wine-tide IX. Brauzeit
X. Brumaire, 33 Myst-tide X. Kaldezeit
XI. Frimaire, 33 Cold-tide XI. Ulriczeit
Winter Solstice
La St-Leu Mondstille
(Shortest day)
XII. Nivôse, 33 Snow-tide XII. Vorhexen

Oo : On the nights following Hexenstag and Geheimnistag

both moons are full simultaneously
IV.7. Bretonnian Forenames

For Men Édouard Jacques Pierrick

Émile Janclod (Flandres) (Armorique)
Émilien Quentin
Aimé Enguerrand Jean Raoul
Alain Estienne Jehan Raymond
Albert Eustache Jérôme Régis
Ambroise Euvrard Joscelin René
André Fabrice Jules Rodolphe
Anicet Fernand Julien Rodrigue
Anselme Firmin Lambertien Rouget
Antoine Florent Laurent Savinien
Antonin François Léandre Thomas
Aristide Frederic Léonard Valère
Armand Gaston Lionel Yves
Arnaud Gautier Loïc
Auguste Gérald (Armorique)
Aymar Gérard
Aymeric Géronte Louis
Bastien Gerson Luc
Benoît Gervais Marc
Bertrand Gilbert Marcel
Blaise Godfrey Maurice
Blondel Grégoire Maynard
Bonard Gustave Michel
Briant Guy Neville
Brice Guylain Noal
Camille Henri (Armorique)
Cédric Hervé
Charles Honoré Octave
Claude Hubert Pascal
Daniel Hugue Paul
Denis Isidore Petrus
Désiré Philibert
Didier Phillipe
Donatien Pierre
 Claudette Isabelle Simone
Claudine Jacotte Sophie
Clémence Jacqueline Stéphanie
Clémentine Janeton Suzon
Clothilde Juliette Sylvie
Colombe Justine Thérèse
Corinne Léonie Virginie
Delphine Louise Xavière
Denise Lucille Yolande
For Women
Edmonde Ludivine Yvante
Adèle Élaine Madeleine Yvonne
Agathe Éléonore Magdalène Zerbinette
Agnès Éloïse Margot
Aliénor Elsiber Marguerite
Amandine (Navarre) Marianne
Angelène Marie
Emmanuelle Marion
Anne
Ermenaude Mariotte
Antoinette
Estelle Marise
Ariane
Eugénie Marlène
Arlette
Flavie Martine
Aude
Fleur Matilde
Aurélie
Francine Mélanie
Béatrice
Frénégonde Mireille
Belle
Gabrielle Monique
Bernadette
Gaelle Nadine
Bernardine
(Armorique) Natalie
Blanche
Brigitte Nicole
Garance Ninon
Carole Geneviève
Cécile Odette
Germaine Odile
Céleste Gertrude
Céline Pernette
Ginette Renaude
Chantale Gisèle
Charlotte Rosalie
Hélène Rosemonde
Chimène Henriette
Claire Sandrine
Irène
 Now, said the story teller, I will tell you a tale of
Bretonnia, the country of the marvellous King Charles, who
sets himself further above his people than any other lord in all
the Old World, and who has so many governors under him
that he cannot know their number, let alone their names...